Harry Potter and the Blessing of Merlin
by plasterwork
Summary: Harry's 6th year of Hogwarts He learns more about his parents, his friends, and he copes with losses. Sequel to OotP. Chapter 12 up since 6122005
1. Mysteries

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter, and unfortunately, I never will. I am just one of the sad people who have to make themselves content with borrowing him every once in a while. I'm sure I'll return Harry and most of his world quite unscathed.  
  
A/N: Okay, this is my first try of writing a complete novel. And as you can see, the first chapter is up. I've finished the outline for the entire story, and it'll probably be around 35 chapters. However, none of the upcoming chapters have been fully written yet, so comments are welcome and taken into account, if at all possible.  
  
I'm Dutch, and so I'm not a native English speaker. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes concerning grammar or spelling, I do my best to avoid those. If, however, you pick up any major recurring mistakes (no nitpicking!) please let me know, so that I can try to avoid those later.  
  
For now, I hope you will enjoy the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Blessing of Merlin. Please feel free to review!  
  
Chapter 1 Mysteries  
  
'SIRIUS! NO!' In a bedroom at 4 Privet Drive, Harry Potter awoke with a start. Only a few seconds later, his Uncle Vernon burst into the room.  
  
'What are you up to, boy?' he shouted. 'Like it isn't bad enough we have to keep your unnatural self in our home, you start waking us up in the middle of the night too?!'  
  
Harry muttered an apology and turned his back to his uncle. With a snort of contempt, Uncle Vernon left the room.  
  
He could have explained to his uncle why he woke up screaming every night, but he had no desire to do so. After all, it had been his fault that his godfather had died in the Ministry of Magic, not too look ago. Harry felt no desire to provide his uncle with even more ammunition to harass him.  
  
His mind wandered back to that fateful night in the department of mysteries. He had been so foolish to believe his vision of Sirius being tortured, and even more foolish to have believed Kreacher, the house elf.  
  
If it hadn't been for his hero-complex, Sirius wouldn't have fallen through that mysterious veil, and his friends wouldn't have been hurt.  
  
It was obvious Harry wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. As he turned over, and reached for his glasses, he saw that it was 4:30 AM. 'Good,' he thought. 'I've had a whole three hours sleep.'  
  
He got out of bed, got dressed and, sticking his head out the window, searched the sky for a sign of Hedwig, his owl.  
  
She had been gone four nights now, ever since they'd returned to Privet Drive. Harry couldn't really blame her though, after all, who would want to stay at the Dursleys. He only stayed because Dumbledore had asked him to. Once again, his mind wandered off, this time to the conversation he'd had with the Headmaster at the end of last term.  
  
It had been during this conversation that Dumbledore had informed him of the prophecy. And finally, he had also been given the reason as to why he had to return to the Dursleys every summer. Apparently, by living with his aunt, he was still protected from Voldemort by his mother's blood. Harry had his doubts about this, as Voldemort had been sharing his blood for over a year now.  
  
A soft hoot from a strange owl shook Harry from his memory. He put some money in the leather pouch the owl was carrying, and took his copy of the Daily Prophet. And finally, he saw the news he had been hoping for for months on the front page.  
  
Fudge resigns as minister for magic  
  
iAfter having been publicly embarrassed by the return of You-Know-Who, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge has resigned. As he said in his resignation speech: "...my denial of the return of You-Know-Who was most unfortunate, and I fear that in my denial, I might have given him and his followers an advantage." However noble this sounds, Fudge wasn't prepared to step down until he was pressurized by members of the ministry and Wizengamot. On the question if he had anything to say to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the ex-minister scowled, and answered "No comment". As hopeful eyes already started looking for a new minister for magic in the direction of Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts has given a short statement: "I will not be available for the position of minister, as I feel I am more needed at Hogwarts. However, I will be helping with interviewing potential candidates, so that we may have a new minister very shortly." Dumbledore might find this harder than it looks, since no one within the ministry seems eager for the job now that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned. Although the refugee Sirius Black was not captured at the ministry, officials have confirmed that they're hot on his trail. If the Aurors succeed in taking out Black, this would be a serious blow to You Know Who./i  
  
A smile spread across Harry's face as his hopes were confirmed. There would be a new minister, and Dumbledore would remain at Hogwarts. He could not yet face the fact that all these changes were occurring because of his stupid rescue mission. Nor could he face the fact that Sirius died a hero, but was still considered a criminal. 'If only they knew,' he thought.  
  
As dawn approached, Harry looked to the sky once more, and to his surprise saw Hedwig approaching the window.  
  
As he carried her to her cage, he removed the three letters that she was carrying. They seemed to be from Ron, Hermione, and someone who's handwriting he didn't recognise right away.  
  
Both anticipating and dreading news from his friends, he opened the first letter, which was obviously from Hermione.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are you? That's a silly question, as you're probably not that well. But how else would one open a letter? I recalled that I hadn't told you that IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, HARRY! No one blames you for what happened that night in the Ministry. Now I know that Dumbledore told us not to speak to you about it until you were ready, but when do we listen to him anyway?  
  
Harry's lips outlined a weak smile as he tried to remember an occasion in which Hermione had NOT listened to Dumbledore.  
  
I have no idea how you must be feeling, but I can imagine that you might be feeling guilty about Sirius' death. Please don't feel guilty, Harry. I don't know what else to say, I'm not so good with all this emotional stuff, but I just wanted to let you know that there are a lot of people out there that care so much about you, and don't want you to blame yourself, including me.  
  
Love, Hermione  
  
Harry's faint smile grew a little stronger at Hermione's uncharacteristic, clumsily written letter. Even though he did indeed blame himself, it was nice to know that she didn't.  
  
Then he opened Ron's letter, and started reading.  
  
Hey mate,  
  
How have the holidays been treating you so far? I know we're not supposed to talk to you about what happened that night, but I figured writing isn't talking, right? So here goes. Firstly, I wanted to let you know that I'm doing alright. That brain has done dome freaky stuff to me, but they all explained it yesterday. Apparently, I'm suffering from brainscarring. Those brains contain memories and emotions of certain wizards and witches. The one that attacked me stored emotions and memories from the last war against You Know Who. Some of those were somehow transferred into my own brain. They're not very happy, but Dumbledore reckons they might prove useful during this war. So maybe I'll actually be able to do something to help now. Secondly, none of us blame you mate. My mum's worried you might be blaming yourself for what happened (and my mum's usually right) but you shouldn't. We all decided to come with you on our own accord. On a happier note, mum's trying to get you to our summer hideaway before your birthday. And you know mum, when she sets her mind to something, not even Dumbledore can stop her. Hope to see you in a couple of weeks! Ron  
  
Another faint smile traced Harry's lips. He was happy his friend was dealing with the brain-attack, although he felt Ron might be making some understatements. But the thing that was the greater cause of his smile was the removal to Grimmauld Place, which might come sooner than he had anticipated. Feeling even more cheered than he'd felt after Hermione's letter, Harry opened the last one. He saw, to his surprise, that it was from Lupin.  
  
Dear Harry, Although Dumbledore has informed everyone not to disturb you, I felt you might like a visitor during your summer holidays. After what I've heard about your aunt and uncle, I cannot be convinced that they'll be able to support you in this troubling time. I just want you to know, Harry, that you are not to blame for what happened at the ministry. If you want, we'll talk some more about that when I come to visit. Look out for me tomorrow, around midday. You can also expect a visit from Dumbledore soon. Remus.  
  
After reading Lupin's letter, Harry couldn't help but feel almost giddy with the knowledge that his friends were sticking by him.  
  
As his stomach made an odd rumbling noise, Harry decided it was time for some breakfast.  
  
Walking into the kitchen, he saw that Aunt Petunia, too, had had an early start.  
  
Harry decided that this would be the perfect time to subject his aunt to the cross-examination he had been preparing for days. Ever since he had gotten home from school, he had wanted to ask his aunt a lot of questions. Only last summer, he had found out that she knew a lot more about the wizarding world than she had led him to believe. But even though he had been home for four days now, Harry hadn't been able to corner her on her own.  
  
For some reason, every time he tried to ask something, his uncle would show up. And Harry knew better than to talk about magic or anything related to it, in front of his uncle. Also, he felt like his aunt might have been avoiding him. More than usual, that is.  
  
But now, she was there, and alone. And Uncle Vernon was most likely still in bed. It was the perfect time.  
  
'Er-Aunt Petunia,' Harry started, as his aunt gave no evidence of noticing Harry was in the room. 'Er-Aunt? Can I ask you something?'  
  
His aunt turned to face Harry, looking at him like he was a bug that needed to be squashed, as usual. Only this time, Harry thought he saw something else in her eyes as well. Understanding, pity? He couldn't name it.  
  
'What is it?' his aunt spat.  
  
'Well, you know, last year, with the Howler and all,' Harry began carefully, 'you seemed to know much more about the w-, about my world than I ever suspected. I mean, you know about the Dementors, and Azkaban, and you didn't seem too surprised when a letter shouted its message in you face. How do you know all that? And why didn't you ever tell me?'  
  
It seemed as though his aunt had been preparing for this conversation too.  
  
'How do I know all this?' his aunt said. 'I thought you were a bit smarter that that. After all, you got those unnatural powers from my own sister. She was a born w- w-,' Aunt Petunia struggled to get the word out, 'w- witch. As sisters, we lived in the same house for years. After she went to that school, as you call it, she only came home during the holidays. Of course, I wanted nothing to do with all that deviant stuff, so I was away as often as I could. But there were always the summer vacations. I had to listen to her tell all kinds of stories about spells, charms and what went on with your kind.'  
  
Harry had listened to his aunt intently, eyes wide open with her candour, gobbsmacked at the normalcy of her tone of voice. He also wondered if he should take the part about him 'being smarter that that' as a compliment.  
  
'But,' he asked, 'what happened?' Why didn't you ever say something? After you found out I was a wizard I mean.'  
  
'First of all, I'd like to make clear,' his aunt answered, her tone matter of factly, 'that I always knew you were one of them. Vernon believed he could beat it out of you, but I never really believed that. Somewhere I always knew. The final break with my sister and parents came after I had met Vernon. He took my sister's situation even worse than I did. But as I found out that there was some dark wizard out there, who was after those who were born from normal people, and their families, I decided I didn't want anything to do with it anymore. I hated Lily for putting us all in danger because SHE had to be different.'  
  
Harry was startled at his aunt calling his mother by her name. She never did that.  
  
'You know,' he said, 'he's back. That dark wizard you talk about. The one that murdered by mum and dad.'  
  
'I know that too,' his aunt said. 'I'm not stupid. Your Headmaster sent me a letter about it (by normal post, very considerate), informing me. But I already suspected something after those Dementors-'  
  
CRACK!  
  
At first Harry though that someone had apparated into the kitched, but as he turned, wand drawn and raised, he saw his cousin Dudley. A plate was shattered at his feet, and he was trembling like a leaf.  
  
As Harry met his cousin's eye for a split second, a strange sensation took hold of him. Falling back into a chair, images took over Harry's head. Images of Dudley.  
  
Dudley, walking though a long corridor filled with boys in Smeltings uniforms. As Dudley passed the boys, they hit his kneed with sticks, threw sandwiches at his head and made sounds like pigs. 'Oink oink, Dudley! Can we get some of your bacon? You seem to have plenty!'  
  
Flash! Another image filled Harry's head. Dudley was stuck in his school bench. As he tried to suck in his stomach and wrestle himself out, his classmates and teacher were howling with laughter.  
  
Flash! A new image, of what appeared to be an interschool dance, and there were girls there, and music was playing. Dudley walked up to a group of girls, and tapped one of the prettiest girls Harry had ever seen, on her shoulder. Dudley managed to blurt out 'Dyouwannadancewimme?' The girl pulled a face as if she was considering the request, and as the music stopped yelled, 'How dare you touch me, you walking pork chop! What makes you think anyone would ever dance with such a chunk of lard!' Dudley looked as though he was nailed to the ground as the whole gymnasium roared with laughter.  
  
Flash! Harry was once again back in the kitchen, where he was still looking into Dudley's terror-stricken face. So one seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.  
  
Realizing what had just happened, Harry sprinted out of the kitchen and hurried upstairs.  
  
A/N: If anyone can explain to me how to do italics, so that the whole thing might be a bit more readable, I'd much appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I might have the next chapter up on either Wednesday or Thursday. 


	2. Revelations

iI do not, and will never, own Harry Potter or his world./i  
  
Hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Please feel free to comment!  
  
Reaching his bedroom, Harry slammed the door shut behind him and threw himself on his bed. He recognised what had happened. He had performed Legilimency. The question was: How?  
  
Last year, Harry had discovered that he wasn't what one would call a genius in either Occlumency or Legilimency.  
  
So how had he entered Dudley's mind, reading his worst memories, without even trying to do so? And apparently, without Dudley noticing anything out of the ordinary? For Harry was sure that the vacant, terrified expression on Dudley's face only came from his memories of the Dementors, and what they had made him relive.  
  
The only person Harry knew who could do this was someone he didn't even want to think about.  
  
Only Voldemort could read people this way, with short eye contact, and without them noticing, unless they knew what feeling to look for.  
  
Harry couldn't understand how he had done it, but something about the powers that he and Voldemort seemed to share, had changed. Harry just couldn't conceive why. It was all extremely confusing.  
  
And one of the most confusing questions he asked himself was: Why hadn't this power shown itself earlier? It must have always been there, or at least, it must have been there all time last year. But then why had he been so awful in his lessons with Snape?  
  
If it was really something he shared with Voldemort, who was a master at both Legilimency and Occlumency, then how come Harry had never showed any talent in it? At least up until now.  
  
And then, another terrifying thought crept up into his mind, and filled his stomach with an icy feeling of foreboding.  
  
He had performed magic! Again! But this time he had no explanation, no excuse for it. It had had nothing to do with controlling his emotions, or being in mortal peril. He would surely be expelled now, if not sent to Azkaban.  
  
Any moment now, and owl would be swooping through his window, carrying a request to surrender his wand to Ministry- officials.  
  
This couldn't be happening. Not again. Not while Voldemort was still out there, wanting to kill Harry more than ever.  
  
Nervously, Harry glanced out the window, dreading what he might see. But all he saw flying in the sky were a couple of grey pigeons.  
  
This was unusual. At least ten minutes had passed since Harry had stormed up to his room, and so far there had been no word.  
  
For the next two hours, Harry continued to stare out the window, trying to empty his mind of thought of what might happen.  
  
As his stomach gave another rumble, he remembered that he still hadn't had breakfast yet.  
  
Lost in thought, he walked downstairs to the kitchen. This morning had been nothing short of unusual. Harry had used Legilimency, and the Ministry hadn't detected it. Finally, Harry decided that it must have been a glitch in the network for controlling under aged magic.  
  
The ministry must be in quite an uproar over Fudge's resignation, surely they hadn't been paying enough attention.  
  
Sighing with relief, he thought back of the magic he had performed. Dumbledore would want to know about it. So would Remus. The always wanted to know when something out of the ordinary happened to Harry.  
  
But a little voice inside Harry's head told him not to mention it.  
  
Why would he want to give any more evidence of his already well-established connection with the Darkest Wizard alive? He barely had any freedom left as it was. Surely, if Dumbledore heard about this, he would have Harry monitored day and night. Why would he jeopardize his current situation?  
  
Not to mention the looks his friends would give him when they found out. Everyone would be left wondering if maybe Harry was trying to get inside his or her heads. Harry got enough funny looks as it was.  
  
No, he was going to keep this to himself. Besides, it had only happened once. Maybe it had been just a fluke, a one-time experience. It obviously didn't happen every time he made eye contact, because he had been watching his aunt intently as she talked about his mother. And nothing had happened when he had looked into her eyes.  
  
He would keep it to himself, and if it would happen more often, or at significant times, then he would say something. Perhaps. But not now.  
  
Now that that problem was out of the way, Harry could focus on what he had seen exactly. As he made himself a BLT-sandwich, Harry sat down at the kitchen table; to give some more thought to what he had seen.  
  
His cousin, the almighty, powerful D-Man, terror of Little Whinging, turned out to be Diddykins after all. Harry snorted.  
  
He was torn between and ecstatic feeling of happiness, and something that felt a lot like pity. True, Dudley had harassed Harry for all of his life. Harry could recollect no feelings for his cousin but the desire to take revenge, and a major feeling of dislike, but still.  
  
Harry knew all too well what it felt like to be embarrassed, shot down by a girl you fancy. He knew perfectly what it felt like to be bullied, and his cousin was a master at it.  
  
In his opinion, no one deserved to feel that rotten. Well, perhaps Voldemort, and his followers. He didn't mind Dudley having a crappy time, but it was still a bit of a moral dilemma.  
  
A memory rose up in Harry's mind, of Dudley taunting him with his nightmares about the graveyard and Cedric's death. This would be the ultimate weapon of revenge. Harry finally knew Dudley's worst memories. He could make Dudley cower in front of him without even threatening to perform magic.  
  
But somehow that just didn't feel right, not to mention that he would be stooping to his cousin's level.  
  
The only person Harry could imagine using a person's worst memories against them was Draco Malfoy. And Harry certainly had no desire to do anything Malfoy might do. No. He would not confront Dudley with this knowledge.  
  
Instead, Harry would let Dudley's memories sustain him during his stay at Privet Drive. Dudley hated it when Harry acted like he knew something he didn't. So that's what Harry would do. Every time he would encounter Dudley, he would recall Dudley being bullied, and smile. It would kill Dudley. A little laughter at other people's petty problems, especially of people you dislike, never hurt anybody. And maybe, just maybe, he might let something slip to Dudley's mates. He would have to see how Dudley was behaving, first.  
  
*  
  
When Harry went up to his bedroom that night, he remembered his conversation with his aunt. It had been nothing like he had expected.  
  
Now that he though about it, he did feel a bit silly about thinking his aunt knew nothing of the wizarding world. She mightn't have liked it, but she would have learned some things. And as it turned out, she had.  
  
As Harry remembered the reason to why his aunt had severed all ties with her family, anger bubbled up inside him. 'What kind of person would leave her loved ones, just because their sister happens to be different,' Harry thought. 'Especially when times were so hard, when you didn't know if you would ever see them again?'  
  
'A person who fears for their lives,' answered a little voice, much like Hermione's, in the back of his head. 'After all, betraying loved ones is not new to the world.'  
  
Harry tried to remember at what other times he'd heard stories like this. Of course, during the war against Voldemort, lots of people had betrayed friends and family. But had they done that to protect themselves, or just because they were evil?  
  
Then his mind drifted back to his last year in Muggle-school. In the year, his teacher had spoken a lot about the Second World War, and how families had been torn because of it. He recalled her telling stories about people betraying their mates, siblings, and even their parents to the secret police, in order to protect themselves, and other loved ones.  
  
Although Harry could see where his aunt had been coming from, his anger lasted.  
  
It just wasn't fair. None of it was! It wasn't fair that his mother had been shunned by her sister, just because she happened to be different. It wasn't fair that Sirius had been trapped in a cruel trick of fate and had spent one-third of his life in Azkaban, for a crime he hadn't committed. It wasn't fair that Ron had had the ill fortune of being friends with Harry, was now suffering of brainscarring. And although selfish, Harry though that his fate was the most unfair of all.  
  
His fate caused him to be the only one who would be able to rid the world of Voldemort. Every time he thought about this, rage seethed through him, and he felt like the weight of the world was leaning on his shoulders.  
  
Screaming with frustration, Harry slammed his fist into the wall. Good. It hurt. At least that would numb the pain he felt inside for a little while.  
  
Still raging with the unfairness of it all, Harry went to bed.  
  
*  
  
He woke up the following morning, feeling more tired that he had before he'd gone to bed. Even though he'd had a full night's sleep, he had gotten no rest, because of continuous nightmares. Images of the graveyard, Cedric, Sirius, and his parents had haunted him.  
  
Acknowledging that he would be tired for the rest of the day, he started writing lengthy replies to Ron and Hermione. Although he told them he appreciated their support, he didn't go into what happened that night any further.  
  
As he finished his last letter, he saw that it was already 11:30 AM. He started to wonder how Lupin would get at Privet Drive. Surely he wouldn't try using the Floo, and Apparating would probably give the Dursleys a simultaneous heart attack. Not that he really cared, but it would be hard to explain 3 dead people to the police.  
  
Hoping he would be able to somehow be able to intercept Lupin, Harry hurried downstairs.  
  
When the doorbell rang at ten to twelve, Harry opened the door, worrying if maybe his aunt had invited a friend over.  
  
To his great surprise, he saw Lupin standing opposite to him. And he wasn't wearing wizarding robes, but a Manchester United shirt, jeans, and a pair of trainers. Harry almost failed to recognise his former professor.  
  
'Professor Lupin, is that really you?' Harry managed to say.  
  
'Now Harry, how often have I asked you to call me Remus? And what kind of greeting is that anyway? So, are you gonna ask me in, or will we just stay like this?' Remus answered jovially.  
  
'Yeah, oh yeah, sure, of course, come on in,' Harry stammered. But them, a little alarm bell started to go off in his head.  
  
'Whoa! No. Hold it right there,' Harry said, while drawing his wand. 'How do I know it's really you? Let me ask you something. During my third year, what did I remember when there were Dementors around?'  
  
'That's easy, Harry,' Remus said sadly, but with a weak glint of pride in his eyes. 'You heard your mother pleading to Voldemort for your life. And just to assure you, your dad's animagus form was a stag, as is your Patronus, and your favourite food in the world is anything cooked by Molly Weasley. It's good to see that you will not be fooled easily.'  
  
'Yeah,' said Harry, blushing slightly, 'I guess Moody rubbed off on me a bit. Anyway, come in, can I get you something to drink?'  
  
'Sure, that would be great; I wouldn't mind some of the Muggle-cola. Lead the way to the kitchen, Harry.'  
  
Walking back into the kitchen, Harry decided to introduce Remus to his aunt without holding back any information. After all, she had been truthful to him too, and Harry wondered what his aunt's reaction might be.  
  
'Aunt Petunia,' Harry started, 'I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin. He was one of my dad's best mates, one of the best teachers I've ever had, and he's a werewolf.'  
  
Aunt Petunia shot a look at Remus she usually only reserved for Harry. As Harry noticed this he made a mental note to get Snape and his aunt in the same room one day. They would have a lot in common. Nevertheless, his aunt answered both surprisingly, and to a certain extent, even gracefully.  
  
'Mr. Lupin,' said Aunt Petunia, ' I think I remember your name. You were a prefect when you were in school, weren't you? Along with my sister?'  
  
Remus could only nod in surprise.  
  
'Well, it's been quite the pleasure meeting you,' she continued 'but I have some urgent business to attend to in the living room. If you will excuse me.' And with that, she stalked out of the kitchen.  
  
'Some business to attend to alright,' Harry sniggered. ' She has to make sure none of the neighbours saw you enter the house.'  
  
Remus smiled in reply. 'I gather that you two have talked a bit?'  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
'That's great,' said Remus. 'But what's keeping that drink?'  
  
Harry got two cans of diet Coke out of the fridge, and sat down at the kitchen table, opposite to Remus. After Remus had figured out how to open the can, he looked intently at Harry, and said 'So, now tell me. How are you doing?'  
  
Harry shifted uncomfortable in his chair as he answered. 'I'm hanging in there, really. I'm not getting a lot of sleep, but that's alright, I don't need much sleep anyway. It's just that I'm so bored out of my mind, I don't think about anything but that night, and Voldemort.'  
  
Harry actually felt relieved now that he was talking about this, and he continued.  
  
'I need something to take my mind off things, but I can't perform any magic. I'm afraid that if I don't find something soon, I'll snap. I know you all seem to think that what happened at the Ministry wasn't my fault, but as far as I'm concerned, it was.'  
  
Here Harry stopped and looked up at Remus, only noticing now that he had been directing his speech to the table top.  
  
Remus looked as though he was weighing his words. 'Harry. There's a difference between blame, fault and taking responsibility. You obviously have no problems with taking responsibility for your trip to the ministry. Your friends seem to be taking responsibility for following you. You were afraid for Sirius' life, and you felt you had no choice but to react the way you did. You can take responsibility for that, but that doesn't mean you are at fault, or to blame. Living with 'what ifs' is no life, Harry. You can spend your whole life wondering what would have happened if either you, or any of your friends, had reacted differently. But the fact remains that you didn't. Sirius took responsibility for coming out with the Order to help you. He recognised the fact that something might happen and accepted it. He chose to come because he loved you. Just like you made your choices out of love for him. You blaming yourself for Sirius' death doesn't make any more sense that Sirius blaming himself for dying. We all make mistakes, Harry. Some are big, small or enormous, but they have one thing in common. We need to live with the consequences, instead of letting the consequences consume us. Am I getting through to you, Harry? Am I making any sense?'  
  
Still trying to take in everything Remus had said, Harry nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the table.  
  
'Look at me, Harry,' said Remus. 'Look into my eyes. What you should see is someone who cares a great deal for you. Someone who sees it as his duty to prevent you from letting this event suffocate your spirit. Do you see it, Harry? You are the last living memory of my friends, and a most spectacular young man. Please don't let this thing eat away at you, Harry.' Remus' voice now sounded almost pleading.  
  
As Harry looked into his eyes, he didn't need any Legilimency to see that his friend was telling the truth.  
  
'I'm sorry, Remus,' Harry said. 'I know this must be as hard on you as it has been on me. Thank you for forgiving me for taking your last friend-'  
  
Remus interrupted. 'Don't even go there, Harry. I do not blame you, I never did. So there is no need to forgive you either. However, if you wish to thank me, just take my advice, and enjoy your life. That's all I want for you.'  
  
Eyes brimming with tears, Harry was able to produce a being smile. Having talked about his worries had been the first step, and he felt like some of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He knew there was still a long way to go, however. He would need time to grieve, accept and forgive, so much Harry understood.  
  
'So, how are you holding up then, Remus?' Harry asked.  
  
'Oh, I'm hanging in there too, Harry. If you want to talk about me, we should probably do that some other time, because I feel I've exhausted you.'  
  
Harry was silently grateful for Remus' answer, because the conversation had drained him emotionally, and he didn't know if he would be able to take any more.  
  
Remus changed the subject to ways Harry might be able to keep himself entertained, and Harry didn't mind that one bit.  
  
They talked for what seemed like hours, and Harry had lost all track of time, when he heard a loud thud upstairs.  
  
A/N: So, what do you think? Personally, I liked the first chapter better, but this all has to be said.  
  
I've edited most of the typo's out, I think. Thanks for bringing those to my attention, knickers!  
  
PiM, G-lova, Lyn: Thanks for reviewing on the Flyboard!  
  
Knickers & harryp: See you around at the RT, I guess! Hope I didn't disappoint you too much with absence of a reaction by Lupin and DD.  
  
Jekl: Thanks for your review. My point wasn't really to make people feel sorry for him, but worst memories usually are a bit sad. 


	3. An unexpected guest?

iI do not, and will never, own anything related to the Harry Potter –universe. I'm just borrowing it a bit./i  
  
Okay, I know you've waited a long time for this, and I just hope I still have any readers left. If you read, please please please review as well. If you tried to read this chapter last week, then you know that Fanfiction.net screwed it up somehow. Here you have the chapter, the whole chapter, and nothing but the chapter! (I hope) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------  
  
Remus' and Harry's eyes met with a look of mutual understanding. Drawing their wands, they quietly moved out of the kitchen. Sticking his head into the living room, Harry gestured to his aunt to remain where she was and to be quiet. Then, slowly but surely, he followed Remus up the stairs. After warning him to skip a step that usually made a lot of noise, Harry whispered: "I think that sound came from my room."  
  
Knowing that there was no one in the house besides themselves and Petunia (Uncle Vernon was at work, and Dudley, as always, was terrorizing neighbourhood kids), Remus gave Harry a nod of understanding. They both moved to either side of Harry's bedroom door. Harry strained his ears to catch any sound that might be coming from his room, but he could hear nothing.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably closer to 10 seconds, Harry heard the doorknob turn, and a head popped around the doorpost. Harry and Remus, on edge from the adrenalin rushing through their bodies, had their wands aimed at the head before the man it belonged to was able to blink his eyes.  
  
'Now, what kind of welcome is this? Surely it is good to see that you are on your guard, Harry, Remus, but this is no way to treat your Headmaster, is it?' Said Albus Dumbledore, amusement all but hidden in his voice.  
  
'Professor Dumbledore?'  
  
'Albus?'  
  
Harry and Remus both seemed to be equally shocked by the strange appearance of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. As they simultaneously lowered their wands, they managed to blurt out: 'What, when, why?'  
  
'It seems I have made the wards around this house a bit too strong for my own good. I thought I'd construed them so that I could apparate to your side when need be, but I seem to have made a mistake. The wards let me in, but put me off course. I had been aiming for the kitchen chair, but instead ended up face down in your rubbish bin, Harry,' Dumbledore explained.  
  
Harry and Remus couldn't help but snigger at the mental picture the Headmaster had provided. That must have been some sight, Albus Dumbledore landing upside down in a rubbish bin. But Harry was going through a whole range of different emotions at the sight of the elderly man.  
  
Something about Dumbledore had always made him feel safe, like he was home, but now that feeling had a hint of darkness about it. Harry was still not happy with the way Dumbledore had treated him in the last couple of years, telling him half-truths, and hiding important information, apparently for his own protection. Once more, the wave of anger he had experienced in Dumbledore's office after that fateful night, came over him. In a way, Harry blamed him, too, for Sirius' death. After all, if Harry had had a proper tutor for Occlumency, instead of Snape, he might have been able to block the fake vision. Harry knew that his feelings were all but fair, and as he looked at the man he had trusted more than anything for so long, it almost seemed like the Headmaster knew what he was thinking. Turning slightly pink, Harry dropped his head to inspect the floorboards, which, all of the sudden, seemed to be the most interesting thing Harry had ever seen.  
  
'Well, what do you say we go down and have a bit to eat. We totally forgot about lunch,' Remus started, obviously trying to break the uncomfortable silence.  
  
'Good idea,' said Dumbledore, and they made their way down the stairs.  
  
Glancing into the living room, Harry saw that his aunt had obviously left, throwing his advice to the wind. At this display of ignorance, he couldn't help but shrug.  
  
After a rather quiet and short lunch, Dumbledore gave Harry some news.  
  
'Harry, I've come here to discuss several matters with you, and I'd like to start off with one of the more exciting ones; you OWL-results. I hope you don't mind I'm delivering yours a day early. I had a meeting with the committee and asked them if I could deliver yours in person. So, here's the envelope. Whenever you're ready.'  
  
Harry stared blankly at the envelope. After everything that had happened in his life over the last couple of weeks, OWL-results had been the last thing on his mind. But now that the day had finally come, Harry felt his stomach do a small lurch of excitement. Was there a chance he's be able to take Auror-NEWTs? With a passion he didn't know he possessed, he hoped so. Hands slightly trembling, Harry picked up the envelope and broke the seal.  
  
i Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
We are delighted to inform you of the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. Your grades have been broken down in theory and practice, where applicable. You need to have at least an average 'A' on a subject, in order to receive an OWL.  
  
Subject Theory Practice Divination A A Charms O E Transfiguration E O Defence against dark arts O O History of magic D Care of magical creatures E E Potions O O Astronomy P Herbology A  
  
This means that you have obtained 7 OWLs, congratulations.  
  
Yours truly,  
  
Melinda McTyree, Head of OWL-committee /i  
  
'I made it!' Harry almost shouted. 'I'll be able to take all the NEWTs I need to be an Auror.' As both Dumbledore and Remus congratulated Harry, his happiness suddenly disappeared quickly.  
  
iFor neither can live while the other survives/i, a voice in the back of his head whispered. Harry wondered if he'd live a life long enough to make it to being an Auror. With the way things were going at the moment, he wasn't even sure if he'd live to see his own graduation.  
  
Apparently reading his mind once more, Dumbledore subtly changed the subject. 'I'm terribly sorry, Remus, but I need to speak to Harry about certain things. Among others that subject we spoke about earlier. Would you mind?'  
  
Remus, as if he had expected this to happen (he probably had), got up swiftly and, with a hand on Harry's shoulder, told him; 'I'll see you again soon enough. Don't worry. I'll let myself out.'  
  
With a look of despair, that Harry failed to hide, he watched his friend walk out the door. He really had no inclination to speak to Dumbledore alone. Somehow, he didn't feel too comfortable around him anymore. Not to mention that during their last conversation, Harry had smashed the Headmaster's office to smithereens.  
  
Looking at Harry intently, Dumbledore folded his fingers under his chin and regarded Harry over his half-moon spectacles. Then, he let out a small sigh. 'Well, Harry,' said Dumbledore, 'I thought there were a couple of issues we should discuss. Firstly, Occlumency.'  
  
At this, Harry held his breath audibly, wondering if the old man had found out what had happened the other day.  
  
'Not to worry, Harry,' Dumbledore, who miraculously misunderstood Harry's reaction, continued. 'Professor Snape will not be tutoring you anymore. I will be taking this task on me myself, as maybe I should have done in the first place. Our sessions will be starting this week, and will continue throughout the rest of the year. We will start with 4 nights a week for 2 hours, and as you return to school, 2 nights a week for 2 hours. Furthermore, you will need some additional dueling and combat training. What you did with my army,' Dumbledore's eyes glistened mischievously, 'was a good start, but you need some professional guidance as well. Of course, the restriction for underaged magic is still in place, so you will only be able to study the theory on new spells, until you are back at school.'  
  
Here Dumbledore obviously paused to let Harry pose some questions. Instead, Harry just looked at the Headmaster intently, wondering if he'd heard the old man own up to a mistake once again. 'Go on,' Harry said, after a minute's silence.  
  
The Headmaster raised his right eyebrow slightly before continuing. 'I don't know how much Remus already said to you, but we will pair you up with him and Tonks for additional training. You will be studying both advanced offensive and defensive spells with Remus, and Tonks will guide you through combat training. She is a master in Muggle martial arts, karate and taekwondo in particular, believe it or not.'  
  
Harry indeed found it hard to picture clumsy Nymphadora Tonks to be good at something that required so much precision and focus. However, she was an Auror, a job that needed a tremendous amount of those qualities as well. So he probably shouldn't be too surprised.  
  
'But, Professor,' said Harry, 'what good will it do me to learn about spells I can't practice. And do you expect me to fight Death Eaters with karate?'  
  
'Ah Harry,' Dumbledore answered, 'and in-depth knowledge of theory I half the work. Didn't you notice that you could perform spells much easier after you'd explained them in your class?'  
  
At this, Harry nodded.  
  
'Well then, this is the same thing. By explaining, you could understand the working of the spell, the theory, better yourself. Once you have a good knowledge of the spells, performing them should not prove to be your trickiest path. And as for combat training... Well, during a duel it is important to be agile, you must have noticed this by now.'  
  
For a moment, Harry remembered ducking behind gravestones to avoid being hit by Voldemort's spells, at the end of his fourth year.  
  
Dumbledore continued. 'But not only agility is an asset. This training will increase your stamina, allowing you to tire less quickly. Also, you will be able to take your opponent out wandless, if you would ever happen to face them without the benefit of your wand. Because, believe me Harry, that happens. When a wizard is robbed of his wand, they become desperate, and the opponent feels almighty. With proper knowledge of fighting techniques, however, you will have a chance of survival.'  
  
Somehow, Harry found it hard to believe that one could escape powerful wizards without the help of magic, but he decided not to comment on this. You never knew. And he knew that Dumbledore was right about learning spell- theory.  
  
Again, Dumbledore continued. 'Good, on weekday mornings, you will train with Nymphadora from 7 AM till midday. You'll spend 1 PM to 5:30 PM with Remus. I will come here on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sundaynight at 7:30 PM. You'll be off the rest of the weekend, but I recommend you use that time studying spells and training on your own.'  
  
Harry had no problem agreeing with this, desperate to do anything that would help take his mind off things. Sniggering, he made a mental note of telling Tonks that Dumbledore had called her by her given name. Then, a new idea popped into his head.  
  
'Professor, when will I be able to get out of this place and see my friends? I know I've never coped well with living here, but this summer I feel like I just can't take it too long. I would really like to see my friends.'  
  
At this, Dumbledore looked at Harry apprehensively, and with a glint of sadness in his eyes. 'As I explained to you, your stay here is for your own good. You need to recharge your battery, strengthen the blood magic. You can probably leave the week before term starts, although, if Molly Weasley had her way, you'd be out of here this instant.'  
  
Harry's heart had felt like it dropped into his stomach when he heard about leaving a week before term, but at the news of Mrs. Weasley apparently giving Dumbledore a hard time, there was a little spark of hope. After all, Weasley women were known for nothing if not their perseverance and temper.  
  
'Alright then,' said Harry, 'anything else?'  
  
'A couple of things, actually,' the Headmaster replied, while displaying a small smirk. 'You might like to know that your Quidditch ban has been lifted.'  
  
At this, Harry let out a yelp of happiness, but he was quickly silenced as Dumbledore continued.  
  
'Professor McGonagall has asked me to inform you that you are welcome back on the team. She also asked me to assess your feelings on being team co- captain with Mr Weasley.'  
  
After Dumbledore had finished, Harry was not only beaming, he was positively radiant.  
  
'Assess my feelings? What kind of crap is that? I'd love to co-captain with Ron!'  
  
Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at Harry's youthful exuberance and sheer happiness. For the first time in a while, he actually looked his age.  
  
'By Merlin, this is amazing, wait till I tell-' then, Harry stopped dead. What he had meant to say was 'wait till I tell Sirius', but of course he couldn't. He would never be able to tell Sirius. His gaze dropped to the floor, and as he felt a lump in his throat rise, his happiness ebbed away completely.  
  
'Harry? Are you alright?' Dumbledore queried carefully. His voice seemed to come from a distance, but the question nevertheless released Harry's bottled-up anger once more.  
  
'Am I alright?! AM I ALRIGHT? WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT? Only weeks ago I found out that I am the only thing that stands between Voldemort, and the end of the world! That it's him or me! But before I was told about this, I went on a mad quest that got most of my friends injured, and my godfather killed! I know I should always blame myself for everything that happens around me, but I do! It's just the way I feel! So tell me, DO YOU THINK I'M ALRIGHT?'  
  
Harry had shouted at Dumbledore with an amazing force, and the old man hadn't even flinched. Instead, he seemed to be considering what Harry had said.  
  
'True, Harry, I dropped a bombshell on you. That didn't mean you'd have to bear your cross alone, though. Share the weight. Share the sorrow. In the end, it might come down to you and him, but you'll never be able to reach that point fully prepared if you have no one to help you. And as for what happened to Sirius, that wasn't your fault, his fault, my fault or anyone's fault but the people are behind his death. Never forget that. You will have to come to terms with your personal feelings of guilt in your own time, as I have to come to terms with mine, but you have to allow yourself to grieve first. Do you understand, Harry?'  
  
As Harry looked into the Headmaster's tired eyes, he knew that he was telling the truth. His eyes were filled with compassion, understanding, and sadness.  
  
Breaking the connection between them, Dumbledore said, 'It's time for me to go. You can expect Nymphadora at 7 tomorrow morning. Be ready.'  
  
And with that, Dumbledore disapparated from the spotless kitchen.  
  
Still in shock with everything Dumbledore had told him during their conversation, Harry decided to go up to his bedroom and see if he could make sense out of any of it. Of course, he'd also need to relate everything to his friends. And wondering how Hermione might react to his 7 OWLs, he went upstairs.  
  
Thanks for reading! Some more action is definitely under way, but you do need the introductory stuff too. I hope next chapter'll be a bit better. Just bear with me, okay. I promise I'll make it a good story.  
  
PiM: Thanks for your comments on chapter 2, much appreciated.  
  
All Flyboardians: You too can leave reviews by using the menu in the left hand corner, on the bottom of the page. I love you already, but I'd love you even more if you could leave some comments there as well. 


	4. BreakGo and Hurling Hexes

A/N: Hello my lovelies! Yes, I have made it to the next chapter pretty quickly, and I hope to be able to do that more often. I had all last Sunday to write, but got the idea to read 'The Da Vinci Code' instead. Very gripping indeed, but not very good if you need to write. Nevertheless, I managed to write 1 chapter during the weekend, although it's not the three I had anticipated. This chapter, as you will notice, is a bit more light hearted. I won't spoil any more. Enjoy!  
* * *  
  
The following morning, Harry woke up to an annoying beeping sound, that seemed to resonate through his head. His sleep had once again stacked been with numerous nightmares, and it took Harry a while to figure out that the annoying sound was coming from his alarm clock. Moaning, he turned over in his bed and lazily stretched his arm out, letting his hand land forcefully on top of the alarm.  
  
With the noise out of the way, Harry could now start wondering why in the world he had set his alarm at 6:30 AM. He didn't wake up that early when he was at Hogwarts, let alone during his holidays. And then he remembered the conversation he'd had with Dumbledore.  
  
Tonks would be here soon for his first combat training. He had already lingered in bed for too long, it was time to get up.  
  
As he swung his legs over the side of his bed, he reached for his glasses. Putting them on, he looked across the room at his messy wardrobe. Clothes were scattered both inside and one the ground around it.  
  
'Great,' he though, 'what am I supposed to wear? All the Muggle clothes I own are about 8 sizes too big. But even if they weren't, I still don't have any clothes to work out in.'  
  
With a sight, Harry dove into his wardrobe, determined to unearth something he could wear.  
  
In the end, he settled for a pair of brown shorts, held up with a belt of course, and a t-shirt with 5 boys and the words 'Take That' on it. The boys in the photo all looked into the camera with an air of smugness and arrogance. Harry particularly disliked the smaller boy with the baby-face in the middle, who was pointing to the camera.  
  
The shirt looked like it hadn't been worn a lot, and Harry wondered why Dudley had owned a shirt with 5 boys on it.  
  
Looking at the time, he couldn't give that particular subject any more thought and, feeling slightly embarrassed, he decided to wear the shirt inside out. If it hadn't been the only shirt without holes in it, Harry wouldn't have worn it at all.  
  
After putting on his trainers, Harry saw that he only had 5 more minutes left. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he wondered what he would be able to make and eat for breakfast in a couple of minutes.  
  
Rummaging through the refrigerator, Harry decided to try one of Aunt Petunia's new favourites; Break-Go. Secretly wondering what kind of person would come up with a name like that, he read the label.  
  
iBREAK-GO!  
  
The new breakfast sensation you can drink on the go! Break-Go contains yoghurt, wheat, grains and pieces of real summer fruit, and tastes wonderfully like oranges. Break-Go provides the energy needed for school, work or exercise, and is high in added vitamins. One bottle of Break-Go contains all the vitamins according to advised daily intake./i  
  
Deciding that didn't sound too bad, Harry unscrewed the cap and made his way outside to wait for Tonks to show up. Enjoying the cool morning air, he leaned against the front door and watched the sun rise over Little Whinging as he took the first swig from the bottle in his hand.  
  
YEGH! Harry struggled to swallow the mouthful of liquid, if that's what you could call it. It had the consistency of... yes... of what. With a lack of a better description, Harry thought the breakfast drink had the consistency of grainy porridge with lumps. For some reason, several seeds and grains seemed to have decided they didn't want to be swallowed, and had nestled themselves smugly between Harry's teeth. And added to that, the orange taste was awfully artificial, and in no way reminded Harry of real oranges.  
  
Trying to pick the seeds from his teeth, Harry made his way to the rubbish bin to get rid of the mostly full bottle. He should have known better than to trust a breakfast you can drink. And all those added vitamins couldn't be all good either.  
  
As he tossed the bottle in the bin, he heard a crack behind him, followed by a now familiar "Wotcher, Harry!".  
  
Harry turned to face Nymphadora Tonks, who now had pitch-black hair, pulled tightly back in a ponytail, with a smile, that was quickly wiped off his face.  
  
'Er, Harry, not to be a pain or anything, but you've got something in your teeth. Actually, you have quite a lot in your teeth. What did you do?'  
  
Harry mumbled something no one that couldn't speak 'Harry-mumble' would be able to understand. Tonks just pointed her wand at Harry's mouth and said 'scourgify'.  
  
Harry felt the seeds disappear from his teeth, but as he opened his mouth to say thanks, a couple of large soap bubbles came out instead.  
  
Tonks giggled at the sight. 'Sorry Harry, I told you I was never any good at those household spells. Don't worry, it will clear up anytime now.'  
  
'Nice to see you too, Nymph,' Harry said, grinning.  
  
'Oh, boy,' Tonks replied, with more amusement than annoyance in her voice, you have just earned yourself 20 push-ups!'  
  
'Sorry Tonks, couldn't resist,' Harry sniggered. 'So, what exactly are we going to do? Dumbledore told me something about martial arts.'  
  
'You're right, Harry. That'll definitely be part of the program. However, we'll also be improving your physical condition overall, and we'll be doing some kickboxing as well. So, what do you say we get started? We'll kick off with a 7 kilometre run.'  
  
'7 Kilometres?' Harry gulped. 'But surely, er, that's not safe. You know, I'll be outside, unprotected, an easy target for Voldemort and his Death Eaters.' Harry searched frantically for reasons to get out of this run. He could handle exercise, but he hated running with a passion.  
  
'Oh, you big baby!' Tonks laughed. 'Seven K is nothing. Besides, you can't tell me you've remained inside since you returned from Hogwarts. Surely you'll have noticed the guards that are stationed around the neighbourhood. We've got guards placed all over the route this morning, I'll be Disillusioning you, and you have a fully qualified, brave Auror as your personal bodyguard.'  
  
'Who?' Harry asked with a grin.  
  
'Okay, that just bought you another 30 push-ups,' was Tonks' only answer. 'Now get moving.'  
  
As Harry started stretching, he felt a tap on his head, and a familiar trickle down his back, and he knew Tonks had Disillusioned him. Of course he had noticed the guards. He hadn't actually seen any wizards, but it seemed that wizards weren't the only things watching Harry. Mr Tibbles, one of Mrs Figg's cats, followed him everywhere he went, and there were some strange-looking birds in the trees since he had returned from school. Accepting his fate, Harry started to run.  
  
* * * Harry had never been happier to see Privet Drive in his life. His legs felt like they were on fire, his trainers were definitely too small, and he had to keep hoisting his shorts up. When they approached number 4 however, Tonks seemed to have no inclination to stop.  
  
'T-Tonks,' Harry panted, 'surely this was 7 k. Why aren't we going back?'  
  
Tonks, in reply, just smiled knowingly and kept on running. Reluctantly, but having no choice in the matter, Harry followed.  
  
After a short while, Tonks slowed down and turned to a house with a bright purple door. At last, Harry knew where they were going, although he didn't understand it.  
  
After ringing the bell, the door opened to display a Mrs Figg who seemed to be bouncing off the walls. 'Hello there, I was wondering when you would get here. Come in, come in. I've got tea and sandwiches ready, hope you worked up an appetite. Harry love, look at you. You look like your head is about to explode. That strange need for exercise these days, I'll never quite understand it, I fear. Come here, sit down, have a cuppa. Did you enjoy your run?'  
  
Harry made no objections to being ushered into a comfortable chair by Mrs Figg, and he immediately started devouring the bacon and egg sandwiches that were placed on the coffee table to his right.  
  
It was only after a couple of sandwiches and 3 cups of tea that Harry took time to notice the distinct smell of cats, and wondered why they were at Mrs Figg's house.  
  
Questioningly, he looked across the room to Tonks, who was talking to Mrs Figg in a hushed voice. The sight of Tonks slightly startled Harry. She didn't look in the least bit tired, when Harry felt like he was probably drenched in sweat and still quite red in the face. If anything, Tonks looked quite refreshed.  
  
Apparently feeling his gaze, Tonks looked at Harry and answered the questions that he had only asked in his head. 'Mrs Figg has been kind enough to allow us to train in one of her rooms. We knew there wouldn't be any room at your aunt and uncle's house. And we didn't want to rent anything that had a lot of Muggles around either. And to answer that question that's written all over your face, I enjoy running. Auror training doesn't mean only magical work; you need to be physically fit as well. The boot camp we have to undergo is quite heavy, and a 7k run really is nothing to me. I think I'm addicted to the fix of adrenalin I get from exercise. Don't worry, Harry, it'll get easier. Next week you'll already feel the difference, and be able to complete the run with much more ease. Now, it looks like you've cleaned out that whole plate of sandwiches, so I reckon you won't object to getting on with our work?'  
  
As Tonks started towards the stairs, Harry just looked at her, stunned. It was eerie to be with a person that seemed to be able to read other so well. That must come in quite handy as an Auror. Auror training sounded even harder than Harry had anticipated, but he thought it would be worth it. Fighting the bad guys-.  
  
Tonks calling out his name snapped Harry from his reverie. He got up and walked out the door, only to double back. Shyly, he addressed Mrs Figg. 'Er-thanks for the sandwiches. And for letting us use your room. And, er-,' Harry hesitated but continued as he got an encouraging look from Mrs Figg. 'Well, thanks for your help last summer. With the Dementors and the trial and everything. I never really had a chance to thank you properly, so, thanks.'  
  
'It's my pleasure, Harry, no need to thank me. Now, you don't wanna keep Tonks waiting, do you?' And with that, she walked into the kitchen.  
  
The rest of the morning consisted of a lot of mat exercises for flexibility and strength, the basics of martial arts and kickboxing, and of course, the promised push-ups.  
  
Harry had pleaded with Tonks for mercy, but she was relentless and had made him do every last of the 50 push-ups.  
  
At midday, Tonks dropped Harry off at his own house so he could have lunch before Lupin came over. After they had said goodbye, Tonks doubled back and said: "I'm going to get you some new work-out clothes, Harry.'  
  
Before Harry could open his mouth to refuse the offer, she continued. 'Don't try to argue with me Harry. I don't know what those Muggles have been thinking, but you need some proper clothes to wear. No! I won't hear anything else about it. Just consider it an early birthday present.'  
  
And after glancing around repeatedly, Tonks crouched behind a bush, and disappeared before Harry could say anything.  
  
As Harry turned inside, lost in thought about what Tonks had just said, he bumped into his cousin. In all honesty, he hadn't seen a lot of his cousin, besides when he had entered his mind. Since he'd returned, Uncle Vernon had adopted a policy of trying to pretend Harry didn't exist, and Dudley had mercifully followed his example.  
  
Now, however, Dudley could hardly pretend Harry wasn't there. After all, they had made bodily contact. Instead, Dudley shot Harry a look of disgust that didn't seem rooted in his normal dislike of Harry.  
  
'What are you doing wearing that t-shirt, you moron!'Dudley bellowed.  
  
Harry glanced down, to see that even though he had turned the shirt inside out, the photo and text were still quite visible.  
  
'It was one of the 'new' things your mother left in my wardrobe for my return,' Harry answered defiantly.  
  
'She had no right to give you that shirt. It's mine, give it to me!' And Dudley grabbed the shirt, pulling it over Harry's head.  
  
Harry could do nothing but look at his cousin, completely flabbergasted. Why would that shirt cause such an emotion with Dudley? Dudley's voice had trembled, but Harry didn't understand with what. It had, however, sounded like a more genuine tremble that the one Dudley used when he didn't get what he wanted.  
  
Then Harry watched his cousin waddling his way up the stairs, positively hugging the t-shirt. And although Harry wasn't quite sure, he though he heard Dudley mutter: 'Why, boys? Why did you do that to us?'  
  
Not knowing what to think or do, Harry also made his way up the stairs to take a shower and change before Remus would arrive.  
  
* * *  
  
At exactly 1 PM, the doorbell rang, and Harry opened the door. Smiling, he greeted Remus, and offered to go upstairs for the spell study.  
  
Remus was carrying a big stack of books, and Harry lifted some of his load. Together, they made his way to Harry's room, that he had cleaned up a bit for the occasion.  
  
The two dropped the stacks of books on Harry's bed, and took a seat.  
  
'So, Harry, I heard your training with Tonks was pretty successful. 50 Additional push-ups, I wonder what you said to deserve that,' Remus said with a wink.  
  
For 5 minutes, Harry related everything he and Tonks had done during the morning. After he had finished, he turned his attention to the books on his bed. 'Well Remus, you don't seem to be wasting any time. You know, I'm not Hermione. I'm not that fast with books. But let's just take a look at what we have here.'  
  
And Harry started examining the titles of the books: "Advanced defence spells for the wizard at war" "Attacking defensively: a guide to defence against the Dark Arts" "Forgotten spells and hexes: Surprise your opponents" "Tickle charms and hurling hexes: How to win a pranking duel" "Disarming spells taken to the next level" "The theory of Shield Charms" "All you ever wanted to know about the Unforgivables, but were afraid to ask" And, finally, "A Dummie's Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts"  
  
Harry ogled Remus suspiciously. 'What's the meaning of this? Dumbledore said I needed to learn advanced stuff, and you bring me a Dummies Guide, and a book on pranking duels?'  
  
Remus just smiled at Harry and answered. 'I decided it would be best if you learned a whole range of charms and spells. Don't worry; I've brought you more than enough advanced stuff as well. So, if you have no more questions, let's get cracking. I say we should probably start with the Dummies Guide. It has some very clarifying instructions, and is quite entertaining to read.'  
  
For the rest of the afternoon, Harry and Remus busied themselves with studying. Harry made notes as Remus explained certain aspects of spells Harry had never known existed. Apparently, spells could be fortified by focusing emotions while casting it. He learned a whole bunch of other useful stuff; as well he couldn't wait to share with his friends.  
  
That night, Harry had his first sleep without nightmares in a long time.  
  
* * *  
  
Over the next couple of weeks, things progressed in much the same way as that first day. Of course, Harry also had Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore. He found that closing his mind to intruders had actually become a bit easier than it had last year. With a feeling of dread, he wondered if Snape had actually managed to teach him something.  
  
Harry thought his better control of Occlumency had more to do with his increased ability to concentrate. Part of his training with Tonks entailed studying the philosophy behind some of the martial arts, in order to understand the movements. A main part of those studies was meditation and focus. As he became better at meditation, focusing his mind, and visualizing, he suspected he also became better at Occlumency.  
  
Tonks had kept her word, and bought Harry some new work-out clothes. He had been less happy with the regular clothes she had bought him. Not that they didn't look good or anything, but it felt too much like charity. For some reason, Harry didn't like the feeling of being indebted to his friends. For the first time, he understood how Ron must have been feeling at times.  
  
Of course, he hadn't shown these sentiments to Tonks. She had been positively beaming when she handed Harry the bags of clothes, and her eyes shone with anticipation. Besides 3 pairs of shorts, 5 T-shirts, a sweat suit and new trainers, she had also bought him 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of black dress pants, 3 dress shirts and a jumper. Harry was grateful, even though he felt uncomfortable with his friend spending so much money on him. He reckoned he should just look at it like a birthday present, and be done with it. Of course, he thanked Tonks profusely, and she in her turn, had made him do a little fashion show.  
  
His studies with Remus were also going well. Together, they had worked through 4 books, and Harry had managed to study the books on prank duels on his own. He couldn't wait to show it to the twins. Surely they would have a field day with some of the spells mentioned in the book. The hurling hexes in the title were very effective to distract your opponent for a few second, and were definitely one of Harry's favourites. However, the best charm he had discovered in the book was the Jelly Charm. The incantation, blubberius, was simple enough, and turned the opponents body to jelly for at least 5 minutes. Of course the whole person wasn't actually turned to jelly, but they would just 'melt' like a pudding, and would be incapable of lifting their arms, legs or heads.  
  
When Remus and Harry weren't studying new spells, they would be talking about different things. After a week or so, Harry had found the courage to ask Lupin about what he had seen in Snape's pensieve. The explanation had put most of Harry's mind at ease. Of course there was no real justification to the taunt, but Harry understood where his father and Sirius had come from. Lupin had used the relationship (if that's what one would want to call it) between Harry and Draco. They had been arch-enemies from the moment they had set eyes on each other. It had been the same with Snape and the Marauders. Harry knew that if Draco hadn't been a teacher's pet, Ron and him might have tried something on him as well. But Snape had been a much easier target than Draco.  
  
Harry understood the motivation of the bullying, but he still didn't really like it. However, he had more important things to think about.  
  
He snapped out of his reverie, as it was getting dark outside. Once more, he wondered if he would ever get out of the house. Harry hadn't spoken to his aunt since their first conversation in the holidays, and his cousin and uncle were still denying Harry's existence. Like so many other nights, Harry gazed out the window for any news about when he would be leaving.  
  
This time, however, he actually saw and owl heading for his window. Harry knew it was too much to hope for. The owl would probably be carrying just another letter from his friends, and not a one-way ticket out of Privet Drive.  
  
As the owl closed in, Harry saw something strange. The owl wasn't only carrying a letter; it was also carrying something that looked an awful lot like a tennis ball.  
  
As the owl entered his room, he dropped the tennis ball onto Harry's bed. Harry could now see that he had mistaken Ron's owl for a tennis ball. The tiny owl looked positively exhausted.  
  
He opened the letter the large owl had been carrying first.  
  
iDear Harry, I shouldn't say anything, because Ron wanted to be the bearer of good news, but I just wanted to let you know you're getting out of there soon. Very soon. Before your birthday. I can't wait to see you.  
  
Love, Hermione,/i  
  
Harry's heart leaped. Before his birthday. But his birthday was in 2 days. That hardly seemed possible. Surely Hermione must have made a mistake. He rushed over to Pig and freed him from Ron's letter.  
  
iHey mate!  
  
Mum's finally been able to convince Dumbledore. He couldn't take the heat from mum anymore, and so you're coming. She insisted you'd need to be here on your birthday, called it your Sweet 16 and all that mushy stuff. Be ready for people to pick you up tomorrow!  
  
See ya, Ron,/i  
  
Harry felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He really was getting out of there. He could hardly wait.  
  
* * * A/N: Now ain't that a treat. 2 Chapters on practically the same day. I hope you don't mind I've given Harry some character traits of my own (an innate hate of drink breakfasts, artificial orange flavour and running). I'd like to thank Mr Robbie Williams to inspire the thing about Take That. Please R&R, I'd really be much obliged!  
  
For those of you who don't know Take That: which era are you from? More explanation will come in a later chapter. I guess a lot of Americans and younger kids enknew that if Draco wasn't.wouldn't know them. But that doesn't matter, they're British, and as I'm sticking to mostly canon, I refuse to back down. Muwahahaha!!  
  
As some of you enquired: No, I'm not setting up a gay-storyline for our ickle Diddykins. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is clear from the memories in chapter 1 that Dudley is in fact very straight. That doesn't mean that guys can't be big fans of boybands either. 


	5. A surprising removal

Disclaimer: Oh, screw that! I don't own HP or his world yadayadayada!  
  
A/N: I give up on trying to find out how to work italics, because obviously HTML is hating me. I can't figure it out. Once more I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read and review, much appreciated. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up with a feeling of both dread and anticipation. He was leaving! He was getting out of Privet Drive! He just didn't like to think about where he was going. It had been plain from his friends' letters that they were not staying at The Burrow. Harry's mind tried to block out the place where they would most likely be.  
  
Number 12, Grimmauld Place, as the house where Sirius had grown up, as the house that Sirius had hated, was not the friendliest of houses. If anything, far from that. It was a dark house, filled with dark magic. But that wasn't the most important reason that Harry dreaded going there. It would always remind him of Sirius.  
  
However, the wish to get away from his relatives and to see his friends was too strong. If they were at Grimmauld Place, then he would be there with them. It would hurt, it would probably hurt a lot, but Harry needed his friends. He had always known that, but the talks with Dumbledore and Remus had made that fact even clearer. In the end, he might be alone, but he didn't have to get to the end by himself. That, at least, had he remembered from his first talk with Dumbledore during summer.  
  
But this wasn't the time for dark thoughts. Facing more memories of Sirius would be hard enough without thoughts about prophecies, Dark Lords, and saving the world.  
  
He had to pack. He was leaving. He would see Ron, Hermione, the twins and Ginny soon. Ginny. She had been a most unexpected faithful correspondent. He had received 2 letters every week, and most were obviously designed to make him laugh. Ginny had turned out to be a genius at vividly describing how Fred and George tried to test their new products on Ron, Hermione and herself. Not surprisingly, Ron had turned out to be the easiest target, falling prey to pranks several times during the weekends that the twins came over to visit. Harry didn't know why she had taken to writing him, but he enjoyed it nevertheless.  
  
And so Harry's thoughts continued while he got dressed and packed his trunk.  
  
At midday, he ventured downstairs. Once again, it seemed that his aunt was the only person in the house.  
  
'Aunt Petunia,' said Harry, 'I'll be leaving today, so I won't see you until next year. So –er- that's all I wanted to say really. See ya.'  
  
Aunt Petunia looked up from her women's magazine, only to look down again.  
  
Harry turned on his heel and walked out of the room. What did he expect? He should have known better. Had he expected a hug? A tearful goodbye? No, he didn't even want that. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but this cold response somehow hadn't been it. Although they still didn't get along, ever since their conversation Harry had thought there was a mutual agreement of politeness.  
  
As he got to the stairs, he heard his aunt's voice. 'Harry?' she called out tentatively. Harry walked back to the room and popped his head around the door. He just looked at his aunt, whose eyes were still fixed on the magazine in her lap. Her eyes didn't seem to be moving, however.  
  
'Try not to get yourself killed, you hear. It would be quite difficult to explain to the neighbours.'  
  
Seething, Harry stormed back toward the stairs. She was so selfish, so incredibly selfish!  
  
But as fast as the anger had risen up inside him, it disappeared again. Instead, he just felt sad. Sad, and afraid. Sad, afraid and alone.  
  
'Snap out of it, Harry!' he told himself. 'You're not feeling sad, or afraid, or alone. Well, you are, but not right now. What the hell is wrong with you? Where did those feelings come from? Great, now you're talking to yourself inside your head. Maybe the Daily Prophet was right all along. Maybe you're just a nutter!'  
  
Harry snapped out of the conversation in his head. Somehow, though Harry didn't understand how or why, he had picked up on someone else's feelings. As there was nobody else in the house, it must have been Aunt Petunia.  
  
At least now he could see that his aunt was even worse than he was at expressing feelings. He couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for her. She knew that Voldemort was back, and from her family, Harry was the only person who understood what that meant. Even though they hadn't talked since the revelations in the kitchen, Harry still could-.  
  
His train of thought was interrupted as the doorbell rang. Being closest to the door, Harry opened it.  
  
In front of him stood a part of, to most people, strange looking men and women.  
  
There was Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, who looked rather eerie with his spinning magical eye, even though it was partly hidden by a bowler hat. The chunk that was missing from his nose didn't make him a more pleasant sight. Mr Weasley, who had obviously had a lot of fun with picking out Muggle clothes, and was wearing baggy pinstripe pants and a pink sweater with a pony on it. Tonks apparently felt she hadn't shocked Aunt Petunia enough at Kings Cross, and was now sporting hair that was streaked in all the colours of the rainbow, down to her waist. Bill Weasley, who didn't seem different, but would still look repulsive to Aunt Petunia, with a fang dangling from his ear, and his long hair in a ponytail. The last of the party was Hestia Jones, a solemn looking witch who had been part of his rescue party last year, and who obviously felt she didn't need to wear Muggle-clothes, as she was clad in black robes.  
  
After they were through with greeting Harry, they felt the need to greet Aunt Petunia as well. Of course, Harry made no objection.  
  
Aunt Petunia looked positively horrified and personally insulted at the sight of the group of wizards and witches in front of her. Tonks seemed to have the most fun watching Aunt Petunia struggle to be at least semi-polite to people whom obviously disgusted her.  
  
Too soon, Mr Weasley decided it was time to get Harry's things and go, and the whole party moved upstairs.  
  
'Excuse me,' Harry asked to no one in particular, 'but how are we going where we're going? We don't have a fire place, and surely we can go on broom during the day.'  
  
'Portkey,' Moody grumbled, 'Ministry's handing them out like hot buns now there's no one in particular in charge.'  
  
At this news, Harry looked at Mr Weasley, horror-struck. 'No one in charge? But-. How? Why-?'  
  
'There, there,' said Mr Weasley, 'Mad-Eye is making it sound worse than it is. Of course there are people in charge. But with Fudge out of the way, it's a lot easier to get things done our way, is all.'  
  
Harry felt a bit more relieved while he went to get his things, but one thing was still bothering him. 'But,' he said, 'if we're going via Portkey, surely there's no need for a guard of five. I mean, Tonks and I have been running around the neighbourhood by ourselves all summer.'  
  
'Constant vigilance, Harry,' came Moody's answer. 'You never know what will happen. And obviously you have no idea just how many people were watching over you every time you were out.'  
  
True. Of this, Harry hadn't the faintest idea. And somehow, he thought it might be better if he didn't know.  
  
'Good, Harry, everyone, if you would be so kind?' said Mr Weasley while holding out a piece of driftwood. 'Let's get going.'  
  
As Harry placed his finger on the Portkey, he felt the familiar tug behind his navel. Struggling to hold on to his trunk (fortunately Tonks had taken Hedwig's cage and Bill his broom) he was banging into the other while travelling through the familiar whirl of colour and sound.  
  
With a bang, Harry landed flat on his face on a stone floor, and had the wind knocked out of him. Listening to the moans around him, he gathered that the others hadn't experienced a much better landing.  
  
Struggling to get back on his feet, he heard Tonks moan beside him 'Whoever made that Portkey deserves a good spanking. That's the worst Portkey trip I've ever had.'  
  
Looking around him, Harry saw that they were standing in a hallway much like the one in Grimmauld Place. Only, this hallway was painted a crisp white, and didn't have insulting portraits plastered all the way along it. Instead, there were photos of Harry, Ron and Hermione, Harry's parents, Lupin and Sirius. Harry felt a lump rising in his throat. Swallowing it back, Harry looked questioningly at Tonks, not yet trusting his voice.  
  
'Yup Harry,' she look at him, beaming, 'this really is Grimmauld Place, although I shouldn't say any more just now. Let's take your things upstairs.'  
  
Not believing his eyes, Harry followed her to the room Ron and him had shared last summer.  
  
'But,' he stammered, 'but, Mrs Black?'  
  
The others made their way to the kitchen as Tonks answered. 'Burnt her right off the wall,' Tonks grinned. 'Well, actually Sirius did,' she added sadly. 'A Permanent Sticking Charm on an object that can be burned, is nothing without an Anti Fire Charm. Seems like the old broad hadn't covered all her bases. Sirius wanted it to be a surprise, so he didn't tell you. He thought that-,' Tonks' eyes were now brimming with tears, 'he thought that if he would make the house look better, you might want to live with him.'  
  
Harry had to swallow and even greater lump back. He couldn't believe his godfather had done that for him. Burnt his own mother (albeit her portrait) off the wall. Harry would have loved living with Sirius. He just hoped Sirius had known that.  
  
As they made their way up the stairs, Harry noticed the house elf head were all gone. Voice trembling, he said 'Sirius did all this? On his own?'  
  
Tonks shook her head sadly. 'No. We were planning to, but he only got to finish the hallway. The rest was done by some of the Order and your friends. They've been quite busy, you know.'  
  
As they reached the bedroom, Harry couldn't believe his eyes. The furniture was still the same, but the room couldn't have been more different. The walls had been pained, Harry didn't know what to call it, beige? Light brown? Whatever it was called, it looked very nice. The beds were covered with quilts in several shades of blue, and where the portrait of Phineas had been last year, hung a large pencil drawing of a big black dog.  
  
As though hypnotized, Harry walked toward it to take a better look. In the left hand corner of the drawing it read: 'To Padfoot, Happy 21st! Love, Lily.'  
  
Harry turned around. 'My mother drew?'  
  
Tonks nodded. 'I didn't know either until we came across that drawing. Don't get upset, Harry, but we needed some papers of the Order that were in Sirius' room, and while looking for it, we came across that drawing. Several people thought you might like it.'  
  
Harry just nodded in reply. He did like it. Better, he loved it. And even though he felt a pang of anger when Tonks said they had been in Sirius room, he could understand it.  
  
'Come on, Harry, let's go to the kitchen. Molly has made apple crumble, and I know there are some people that are dying to see you.'  
  
As Harry walked into the kitchen, his jaw dropped in surprise once more, but now, there was now time to ask any questions or look around. He heard a shriek to his left, and the wind got knocked out of him once more as Hermione wrapped him in a hug.  
  
'Hermione-. Need. Air. Breathe.' Harry gasped.  
  
'Oh, sorry,' Hermione muttered as she let go, 'I was just glad to see you.'  
  
'I'm glad to see you too. It's just that us mortals need a regular intake of oxygen to survive.'  
  
Hermione tried to scowl at Harry, while Ron slapped him on the back. 'Good to see you, mate. You look better than I expected. You're beefing up a bit.'  
  
Harry felt bad he wasn't able to return the compliment. Ron looked like he'd lost some weight, and dark circles had appeared under his eyes. Yet, he managed to smile and said, 'Good to see you too, Ron.'  
  
As the three friends made their way to the table, he saw Ginny sitting at the far end. 'Hey Harry,' she waited while giving him a wave, 'good to have you back with us.'  
  
'Hi Ginny,' Harry waved back, 'thanks for the letters.'  
  
At this, he saw Ron shoot him a questioning look, and Ginny's ears turned slightly pink.  
  
Harry had noticed that Ron and Ginny's letters weren't delivered together anymore, but he hadn't expected Ron to know nothing about them.  
  
Before he knew it, he was wrapped in yet another hug. 'Oh Harry,' Mrs Weasley said softly, 'it's so good to have you back. My, it actually looks like those Muggles have been taking a bit better care of you, though you obviously haven't been sleeping properly-'  
  
Harry reckoned Mrs Weasley could have gone on for quite some time, if Ron hadn't interrupted her.  
  
'Mum, maybe Harry would like to have a look at the kitchen first.' His voice was dripping with anticipation and pride.  
  
After telling Mrs Weasley he was very glad to see her, too, and thanking her for getting him out of Privet Drive, he finally managed to take a look around.  
  
Like in his room, the furniture had remained the same, but the kitchen was transformed. It had all been painted the same crisp white as the hallway, except for the wall that held the fireplace. That wall had been painted a deep dark red, and over the fireplace, the crest of Gryffindor had been painted.  
  
Stunned, he looked over at his friends, who all had big smiles on their faces. 'Surprise!' they said.  
  
Harry felt like he might break down if he tried to speak. It was obvious how much work had gone into this. Last summer they had been cleaning every day, and he hadn't seen a difference. Now, both the hallway upstairs and downstairs were painted and looked friendly. His room had been redecorated, as had the kitchen. And that Gryffindor crest over the fireplace looked like it had always been there. Grimmauld Place almost felt like a home now.  
  
Of course, it would never be a home without Sirius. Sirius, who had most likely been the instigator of these developments.  
  
Harry didn't know how he would ever be able to repay his friends. With the house so transformed, it reminded him a bit less of his godfather.  
  
'Well,' said Hermione tentatively, 'do you like it? You know, we did our best but we didn't really know-. I mean, we didn't want to- You know, without your –'  
  
Hermione, of all people, was at a loss for words. None of them had forgotten Harry's about big blow-up last summer, or the ones he had had during the schoolyear, and she knew that Harry wasn't a big fan of surprises. It was obvious Harry hated being out of the loop.  
  
He saw his friends sigh with relief when he said, 'It's wonderful, guys. I love it. How long have you been working on this? Surely you must have spent a lot of time painting and cleaning?'  
  
'No worries, mate,' Ron answered. We've been here for almost four weeks, and we're hardly ever able to go outside. Besides keeping us busy, it was a great deal of fun too.'  
  
Ginny nodded. 'Because we can't use magic during the holidays we did it all by hand. Of course Tonks, Remus, Dad, Bill, George and Fred were able to use a bit of magic, but they were having a lot of fun doing it by hand as well.'  
  
Harry still felt stunned. This transformation was such a great surprise and yet there was something that didn't sit well with him. Before he had said that he loved it, he felt that his friends were almost afraid of him. Like they were afraid he wouldn't like it and blow up like he had so many times last year. Had it really been that bad? When his friends had tried to help him, had he really been ungrateful so often?  
  
Harry knew the answers to those questions only too well, although he didn't like to admit it. He had been behaving pretty badly last year. And he couldn't blame it all on being a teenager, that much he knew too. Hermione was a teenager, so was Ron, and so were most of his other friends. They didn't blow up at their friends over every little thing. He knew that he somehow would have to get rid of the terrible temper, or at least learn to control it. Over summer, he had shouted at Remus and Dumbledore several times, and they had always remained calm with him.  
  
He knew that the least he could do was try to learn something from their tempers. He was learning already, but he still had a long way to go.  
  
'Earth to Harry! Come in Harry!' Hermione was waving a hand in front of his face. 'Ah, there you are. Deep in thought as always. As I was just telling you, you haven't seen it all yet. We've also redecorated the room Ginny and I share, Mrs and Mrs Weasley's room and one of the guest rooms. But there's lots more to be done, so now that you're here, you can start giving us a hand.'  
  
'Sure,' said Harry. 'I've kept pretty busy during the last couple of weeks, but I think I won't be doing a lot of running anymore.' Harry looked over at Tonks, who seemed to be starting her third serve of apple crumble. 'Hey, Tonks, easy on the crumble. I haven't had any yet!'  
  
Tonks smiled guiltily at Harry. 'Sorry, but Molly's cooking is to die for. And no, you won't be doing any more running, but that doesn't mean your training is going to end. We'll be continuing martial arts and our other exercises three times a week. My sodding supervisor has changed my work schedule, so I can't be around as much anymore. Ron will be joining us for training too, but no doubt he will want to tell you about that himself.'  
  
'Later, mate,' was Ron's answer. 'Let's have some of mum's crumble first, before Tonks decides to polish it all off!'  
  
Hestia Jones, Mr Weasley, Bill and Moody all stood up as one and said that sadly, they had some business to attend to. Obviously, the former 3 all had jobs to return to, and Moody probably had to do something for the Order.  
  
As Harry helped himself to a large portion of apple crumble, he said, 'Now that you mention it, Tonks. How did you manage to train with me all those mornings? You must have had Auror work and Order duties as well?'  
  
Tonks laughed. 'Well, fortunately Harry, you were my main Order duty, as you so eloquently put it. And I was able to shuffle around some shifts at work, so that I would only work afternoons and nights. Unfortunately, my supervisor found out and wants me to start working the shifts that are assigned to me. '  
  
After enjoying his crumble in silence for a while, the Gryffindor crest caught Harry's eyes once more. 'And who painted that crest? There's so much detail in it. And it almost looks like it stands out a bit from the wall. It's wonderful.'  
  
Ginny's ears turned slightly pink once more, although she seemed to have more control over her blushing than she used to. 'That would have been me. And thanks for the compliment.'  
  
'I didn't know you could draw, Ginny.'  
  
'Well Harry, there's a lot of things you don't know about me.'  
  
And Harry had to agree with her on that. She had surprised him in more ways than once last year, and had proven that she shouldn't be underestimated. Still, the mysterious look in her eyes mystified Harry.  
  
When Ron had finished his third plate of crumble, they all decided to take Harry on a tour of the renovated rooms. Just before they left the kitchen, Mrs Weasley called him back. "Harry, could you come here for a second? Now, I've been meaning to ask you; what kind of cake would you like tomorrow?  
  
'Cake?' Harry said with a puzzled expression.  
  
'Yes, silly. Birthday cake. You know, to eat at your birthday party tomorrow night.'  
  
'Birthday party?' Harry said while the puzzled look grew even more puzzled. 'Birthday party? What party? I've never had a birthday party.'  
  
Mrs Weasley's eyes filled with tears almost instantaneously as she wrapped Harry in a big hug, muttering something under her breath that sounded a lot like 'those cursed Muggles'. Although Harry often got annoyed at Mrs Weasley fretting over him and acting like she needed to protect him from the big, bad world, he didn't really mind this time. She was actually going to throw him a birthday party? He could hardly believe his ears, and he felt like his heart would burst out of his chest with gratitude and excitement.  
  
After a short while, it seemed that Mrs Weasley had been able to compose herself slightly and said, 'You didn't answer my question, Harry. Tell me, what kind of birthday cake would you like?'.  
  
Lacking experience in choosing a flavour for a birthday cake, and still feeling slightly overwhelmed, Harry chose the only flavour he could think of. Chocolate.  
  
Hermione, Ron and Ginny had been waiting for him on the other side of the door, and all looked at him questioningly. Hermione was the first to speak. 'Harry, truly, have you never had a birthday party?'  
  
Harry shook his head. 'No. I thought that was common knowledge. After all, I have told you about the kinds of presents the Dursleys usually give me.'  
  
Hermione and Ginny nodded sadly, their eyes investigating the tips of their socks. Harry's mind drifted off for a second as he thought, 'Hey, so I'm not the only one who does that when I don't want to face up to things.'  
  
'We knew about all that, mate,' said Ron, 'but I don't think it ever occurred to either of us that you never had a birthday party. Every kid deserves a party in their honour once a year. Well, I guess we will just have to make up for 15 uncelebrated birthdays this time. Usually, 16 isn't such a big deal, with 17 being coming of age, but I reckon we can get away with a big party in this case.'  
  
Harry's heart grew once more at his friend's everlasting loyalty as he said, 'No need to go out of your way, you know. You've all done so much already, with the house-'  
  
'Yes, the house,' Ginny interrupted, 'we're almost forgetting about the grand tour. Come on, Harry, let's get going!'  
  
Harry smiled at Ginny's enthusiasm. He was sure the he would be excited to show his work too, if he had been painting and renovating for weeks. 'Sure, what are we waiting for? Where are we going first?' The group started towards the stairs as something suddenly hit Harry. 'Kreacher!' He exclaimed. 'Where has that vile excuse of an house elf gotten off to?'  
  
Ron looked at him with a look of glee, causing Hermione to scowl. 'Tried to chop his head off, that one. Probably thought he had fulfilled his purpose in serving the Black family. Dad discovered him. He had tried to build his own guillotine and he released the blade himself. Pity no one told him the blade should sever the spinal cord first, or you'll bleed to death. Which is exactly what happened. Well, serves him right is all I can say about that.' As Ron sniggered Hermione looked at him with a look of utter disgust.  
  
'Ron! You know that I feel as vengeful as any of you about what Kreacher did. But he was a product of how he was raised and treated. If wizardkind didn't feel it was their right to abuse house elves, things might have turned out differently. And that's what I'm trying to get through to everyone with S.P.E.W-.'  
  
'No, no,' Ron moaned (and Harry silently agreed with him), 'not Spew again! Do you still refuse to see that 99% of the house elves are happy with the way things are right now!? Anyway, Harry, I hadn't finished the story yet. This all happened just after we had gotten back here from school. When Dad discovered Kreacher, he also found a note in which Kreacher asked to be joined with his forefathers. Well, joined with them he was. Mum spent the morning blasting the heads of the wall. I swear, I don't think I've ever seen her that furious, not even with Fred and George. After she blasted the last head off the wall, she moved them all into the kitchen and burned them in the fireplace. Right along with Kreacher's head and body. The days after that, everyone went around with rags tied over their mouths and noses because of the stench.'  
  
Hermione still looked as if she disapproved of the whole thing, which caused irritation with Harry. 'If you don't like it, Hermione, what do you think would have been a suitable punishment for that little toerag? Because of his treason, Sirius died, and all of you got hurt. We couldn't have ousted him, he would have gone straight to Voldemort. And would you really have liked being around him, facing his mad excitement at having succeeded? Because he would have been very happy, Hermione. He would have never let us forget what he had done, and I probably would have killed him for it. Besides, his death wasn't even our fault. He killed himself, didn't he? So what would you have suggested, Hermione? Tell me, because I'm dying to know why Kreacher was more important to you than Sirius!'  
  
Hermione sobbed silently as Ginny said, 'That was way harsh, Harry, -.'  
  
But Hermione pulled herself together and interrupted. 'Thanks Ginny, but I can defend myself on this one.' She took a deep breath as she looked Harry straight into his eyes. 'Firstly, I would like you to know that I'm not going to put up with any more of your crap. You have a right to be angry where it concerns Sirius, and you have a right to be angry about a lot of other things as well. However, I'm not going to let you take your frustration out on us every time, Harry. Last year was enough. Secondly, you have no right to imply that I do not miss Sirius, or that I'm not hurting as much as any other person that knew him. That comment was both uncalled for and cruel. Thirdly, in the Muggle world a lot of value is placed on respecting a dying man's wish. I KNOW KREACHER WAS NOT A MAN!' she cried exasperatedly as Ron tried to interrupt her. 'Would you please have the common courtesy to let me finish!? As I was saying, a dying man's wish is extremely important. Even murderers that have been sentenced to death have the right to make a last request. Not executing the dying persons' wish is considered extremely disrespectful. Now it may sound strange to you, but I was brought up in the Muggle world, and a lot of those morals and values stick with me, even though I am a witch.'  
  
'Are you done?' Ginny asked. Hermione nodded. 'For now, I'm done.'  
  
'Good, because I would just like to point out that we did comply with Kreacher's wish. The note didn't say that he wanted to be mounted on the wall, it said he wanted to be joined with his forefathers. And we did join him with them, now didn't we.'  
  
Hermione seemed to have anticipated this particular attack, because she was quick to reply. 'You and I both know that that is not what Kreacher meant, Ginny, so don't even start. I'm not saying that we should have mounted him on the wall, far from it. I just think we might have been a bit more considerate of his wish. We didn't have to burn those house elf heads and Kreacher. We could have given them a proper burial or something. I'm just saying we didn't explore all the options.'  
  
Harry had listened to Hermione in shocked recognition. Now, everyone looked at him, apparently awaiting another temper tantrum, or at least some shouting. But Harry managed to surprise all of them, by answering quietly. 'You're right, Hermione. Last year I have been acting like a bit of a wanker. I do however mean to change that, and I've already been working on improving my temper. I was meaning to apologize for that. It will not be as spontaneous any more, but I'm apologizing to all of you. Now, I also apologize for saying that you valued Kreacher more than Sirius. You probably are mourning for him too.'  
  
Harry was slightly amused by the look on his friends' faces. Their eyes were expressing utter disbelief and their mouths seemed to be dropping towards the floor. At least they were expressing the sentiments Harry had expected when he had been planning for his public apology. Of course, the way it came to be had been influenced by Hermione's outburst, but maybe that was for the best. Now the apology would be out of the way, and they would be able to start freshly again.  
  
'Er- guys, could you please close your mouths, you never know what might fly in them. Now, Hermione, as to Mrs Weasley not recognizing Kreacher's dying wish, I still stand behind my opinion of that. In my opinion, that vile excuse for a house elf did not deserve a dying wish. I also agree with Ginny, he was indeed reunited with his forefathers. I don't want to fight you on this one, because I know it will not make a difference. You will always feel the way you do, as will I. What do you say to agreeing to disagree?'  
  
Hermione, still speechless, threw her arms around Harry's neck. Ron, in the meanwhile, poked Harry a couple of times in the side.  
  
Harry, Hermione still clinging to his neck, looked at Ron questioningly. 'What the hell do you think you're doing, mate?'  
  
Ron shrugged. 'I'm just wondering if it's really you, is all. You are behaving kind of odd. I mean, what did you do to Harry-the-time-bomb?'  
  
Harry grinned. 'I think I might have done a bit of growing up over the last couple of weeks. I've been spending great amounts of time with Remus and Dumbledore, they might have rubbed off on me a bit. Don't worry, though, I still get angry quite often.'  
  
Hermione finally seemed to be coming to her senses and let go of Harry's neck. She punched him in the chest a couple of times, before saying, 'You're impossible, Harry, you do know that?'  
  
Harry chuckled. 'Yes, Hermione, I know that all to well. And I'm very glad I have friends just as impossible as me to put up with that.'  
  
'Hey,' Ginny interjected, 'I resent that! True, and I mean this as lovingly as can be, Ron can be quite a pain, and Hermione could do with a bit less time spent with books, but there's nothing impossible about me!'  
  
Harry lifted an eyebrow as he looked straight into her eyes. 'Have you forgotten that for several years you couldn't speak to me. And if I tried to speak to you, you would either stick your elbow in a butter dish or run out of the room.'  
  
Ginny face started to colour a deep red, which Harry found quite endearing. Nevertheless, he decided to save her this time. 'So, when are you guys going to show me those rooms?'  
  
* * *  
  
The day passed quickly, and Harry soon found himself lying in bed. Ron's snores were coming from the other side of the room, but that was the only sound that was disturbing the quiet in the room. During the day, Harry had found out that Phineas' portrait had been moved to the dining room. Because they never used the dining room, Harry felt he might have seen the last of the former Headmaster of Hogwarts.  
  
They had spent the day touring the house, and planning what they might be able to do with the other rooms. Hermione's and Ginny's room was a lot girlier than the others, but it still looked quite good. Two walls had been painted white, and the other two the same deep red as the wall in the kitchen. Another Gryffindor crest had been painted on one of the red walls, and the beds were covered with quilts in several shades of pink.  
  
The Weasley's room had been painted yellow, and the bed was sporting a bright red throw. All in all, it looked like sunlight was streaming into the room, even though there weren't any windows.  
  
The guest room that had been done up was done in much the same style as Harry's and Ron's. However, there were some large scorch marks on the wooden floor and walls. Obviously, the twins used that room when they came to visit on the weekends.  
  
Exhausted from the busy day, Harry fell into a deep and mercifully dreamless sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: So, this was supposed to be chapter 5, not those sad 6 pages I posted before Easter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know how you liked it. Finishing this chapter was a pretty straining process, I'm still not sure if I'm totally happy about it. So your reviews are very important.  
  
Also, I have yet to receive a comment on an important happening in this chapter. Catch on, people! 


	6. Bittersweet Symphony

Disclaimer: The chapter title is of course borrowed from 'The Verve. I don't own it or anything. I also don't Harry Potter or his universe. I'm just borrowing that too.  
  
A/N: The full-length 5th chapter has been uploaded, so make sure you read that before you continue with this chapter. As I said last Thursday, the chapter I posted wasn't complete. It is now about 6 pages longer.  
  
* * *  
  
6: Bittersweet Symphony  
  
The following morning, Harry woke up to find himself alone in the room. He wondered what time it was, and reckoned if Ron was up, surely that would mean that it was past 10. Stomach grumbling, he got dressed and made his way to the kitchen.  
  
When he walked into the kitchen he couldn't believe his eyes. The whole room had been decorated in yellow and red streamers. Mrs Weasley, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all sitting at the kitchen table and chorused 'Happy Birthday, Harry!'.  
  
As Harry walked over to join them, a string of little coloured flags caught his eye. Every flag was showing a Muggle photo of Harry, and underneath each photo it read: 'A Harry Birthday'. Although there was no doubt in Harry's mind who had made those, he still pointed at them and asked, 'How did those get in here?'.  
  
Ginny grinned widely as she said, 'Dobby sent them over. He thought you might like them. He also sent over a birthday present and a card. You've got yourself a big fan in that one, Harry.'  
  
Mrs Weasley got up and gave Harry a hug. 'Happy birthday, dear. I hope you don't mind waiting for a bit with the cake. Tonight there will be some more people here for your birthday. As Arthur won't be here until tonight, you will also have to wait for your present a bit. Now, how would you like your eggs this morning? Fried, boiled, poched, scrambled?'  
  
Harry smiled at Mrs Weasley. 'Scrambled would be great, thanks. And I have no problem with waiting, Mrs Weasley. There are actually people coming over here for my birthday?'  
  
Because Mrs Weasley was already busying herself making breakfast, Ron answered that question. 'Yeah mate, lots of people. Fred and George, of course, Bill, Tonks, Professor Lupin, Dad, as Mum already said, Dung, and Dumbledore might make an appearance also, I believe. Seamus, Neville and Luna wanted to come too, when they found out we were all together, but Dumbledore reckons it's not safe. He doesn't want too many people to know our location. Fair enough, probably, but it still would have been nice to have them here, hey? Oh, and I almost forgot, guess who's coming too? You'll never guess, I'll tell you that.'  
  
Here Hermione interrupted. 'No Ron, he'll never guess. At least not when you keep blabbering like that. Although Ron is right, Harry, you'll never guess.'  
  
Harry tried to think about who had been missing from the people Ron had mentioned before. 'Dean?' he said. But as soon as he had said it he knew he had made a mistake. For once, Ginny's face didn't turn red. Instead, it actually turned paler. Ron's face, however, turned almost crimson and his hands turned into fists.  
  
'No, not Dean,' Hermione said in a hushed voice, 'I don't think Dean would be very welcome here at the moment.'  
  
Harry knew better than to inquire further, and he quickly busied himself with pouring a glass of pumpkin juice.  
  
While waiting for the others to get control over their emotions, Hermione provided a good distraction. 'You still didn't guess correctly, though. It's Fleur Delacour. Apparently, she and Bill are 'good friends' and she's coming with him.'  
  
Harry didn't actually understand why Fleur would come to his birthday, but he didn't mind either. When he had met her at the start of the Triwizard Tournament he hadn't particularly liked her, but their relationship (if that's what you could call it) had improved after the second task.  
  
Ron and Ginny still seemed to be lost in thought, so Hermione started a new approach. 'You may not get some of your gifts until tonight, but here's mine.' Hermione handed Harry a gift that undoubtedly was a book. And quite a large book too.  
  
Looking slightly apprehensive, Harry opened the gift. Even though his instincts had been right, the book wasn't anything like he had expected. Harry had anticipated a book on scar-management, or how to vanquish Dark Wizards, or even how to make your broom safer. However, it seemed that Hermione had bought him a...a novel? In front of him lay a large book titled 'Lord of the Rings'.  
  
Harry shot a look of confusion at Hermione. 'What kind of book is this? I've never heard of it.'  
  
'You wouldn't have, Harry, it's a Muggle book. You probably would have been too young to have heard about it in Muggle school. I read it last summer, and it's really quite interesting. There are wizards, and other magical creatures in it as well, even though those have been made up. I think you might like it, Harry. The main character goes on a quest he really doesn't want to go on, but it seems that fate has chosen him.' Hermione looked down and started studying the leftovers on her plate.  
  
Harry wondered how she would know. How would she know that he too had been chosen by fate to do something he really didn't want to do? Of course, Hermione was a lot smarter than most people, but it still struck him as odd. However, he decided to let it slide for now. He was planning to tell them about the prophecy later in the week, he could ask her then.  
  
In the meantime, Ron and Ginny seemed to have returned to their normal selves, and they both reached for something under their chairs. Ron was the first to present his gift.  
  
'Here you go, mate. Happy Sixteenth!'  
  
Harry unwrapped a large box filled with Honeydukes finest sweets. 'Thanks Ron, I was running a bit low on sugar. I feared I would have to order some chocolate frogs by owl!'  
  
Ron grinned. 'No need to worry about those things. I'm quite content giving you sweets for your birthday and Christmas. As we're sharing a room, it always means I'll end up with some of it as well.'  
  
'Ronald Weasley!' Mrs Weasley said indignantly. 'How can you be so selfish! That is not how your father and I raised you.'  
  
'It's okay, Mrs Weasley,' said Harry, 'I'm more than happy to share with Ron. If he wouldn't eat half of all the sweets I got I would be as fat as Dudley by now.'  
  
Ginny's gift was a rolled up piece of parchment with a red ribbon tied around it.  
  
'Awesome, Ginny,' Harry laughed, 'You've done all my homework for me! Now that's what I call a great gift!'  
  
'Very funny, Harry,' Ginny tried to scowl at him, but the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her. 'Just open it, will you!'  
  
Harry took the ribbon off and carefully unrolled the sheet of parchment. He gasped when he saw what had been drawn on the parchment. A group of five people were standing in a clearing in a forest, arms around each other's shoulders. On the left was Remus, a lot younger, and smiling broadly. His arm was around Sirius' shoulders, and he was grinning mischievously. The index and middle finger of his left hand were forming a 'V' over a girl's head. Lily. She wasn't paying attention as her head was slightly inclined to the boy on her right. She looked at him lovingly. At first, Harry thought his dad was the boy next to her, but then his eyes came across the scar. It was him! He was in the drawing as well, grinning widely. The last person in line was his dad, poking Harry seemingly playfully in the side. Over the treetops Harry could see the turrets of Hogwarts. He was absolutely speechless.  
  
He looked back at Ginny, breathing deeply through his nose and trying to force back some tears. 'How... How did you-? You never saw-. It's -. Thank you.'  
  
'Professor Dumbledore provided me with a group photo of your mother and the Marauders. I didn't really know what Sirius and Professor Lupin looked like when they were in school. Of course I've seen scores of photo's of your parents in history books. So, you like it?' she asked with a slight hint of nervousness in her voice.  
  
'I love it, Ginny, thank you so much. I really don't know what to say. You must have spent a lot of time drawing this.'  
  
Hermione cut in. 'Yes, she spent a lot of time working on it. And she didn't allow any of us to see it before she had given it to you. So, would you mind showing us too?'  
  
Harry reluctantly passed the paper to Hermione, who gasped when she looked at the drawing. 'Ginny, this is wonderful! I knew you could draw, but this is as clear as a Muggle photo. It's beautiful.'  
  
Mrs Weasley brought Harry's breakfast over to the table, and looked at the drawing over Hermione's shoulder. 'Oh dear, it's brilliant. Your drawing really has improved over the last year. You seem to have captured everyone's essence quite nicely. What photo did you use to draw Harry from?'  
  
'Actually,' Ginny said, face flushing slightly, 'I drew him from memory. I couldn't find a photo that seemed to portray what I wanted to draw.'  
  
* * *  
  
The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Harry had been meaning to ask Ron about the details of brainscarring, but it became obvious Ron didn't think it was the right time. He had been reluctant to put the details in a letter, so all Harry knew about it was what Ron had written about it during the first week of summer.  
  
He had also meant to ask about the reaction Ron and Ginny had had to Harry mentioning Dean, but Hermione had warned him not to. 'Ginny will tell you in her own time, I am sure. If she doesn't want to talk about it, then that's her good right,' Hermione had said.  
  
Not wanting to solicit any fights on his birthday, Harry settled for playing Exploding Snap, Gobstones and chess.  
  
Soon, it was late afternoon, and the first birthday guests were appearing. Fred and George flooed into the kitchen, carrying a large box.  
  
'Happy birthday, Harry,' they chanted. They both shot a look at the flags, but George was first to speak. 'Nice flags, Harry. Who came up with those? Let me guess, president of the Harry Potter fan club, Colin Creevey.'  
  
Harry gasped. 'Colin started a fan club?'  
  
Fred chuckled and looked at his brother. 'Not yet, Harry, but who knows, we might be able to give him an idea. You still haven't answered, though, did Colin send those over?'  
  
'For your information,' Hermione apparently decided she had to set something right, 'Colin has gotten over most of his hero worship. It was Dobby that sent those flags over, and I think it was a very nice gesture.'  
  
'Then I was almost right,' George grinned, 'it wasn't the president of the Harry Potter fan club, but the founder of the Harry for Minister-committee. Silly me.'  
  
They all laughed as Fred and George planted the large box in front of Harry. 'Here you go, Harry. Something to keep you busy when You-Know-Who decides to give up being evil.'  
  
Mrs Weasley opened up her mouth to most likely say something like, 'You can't joke about that, boys. This is very serious business.' However, her sons were one step ahead of her.  
  
'Mum, He can already make everyone fear him. If he manages to kill our sense of humour, he might as well take over the world. We know we are at war, and that there are times and places to be serious, but this is neither the time nor the place. Now, will you let Harry open his present.'  
  
Mrs Weasley looked at her sons flabbergasted, but refrained from saying anything, and so Harry opened his gift. He grinned when he looked at the content.  
  
The box was filled to the top with Skiving Snackboxes, Canary Creams, Fireworks, Ton-Tongue Toffees, fake wands, and other pranks that Harry didn't recognize. Their names, however, told him all he needed to know about them. There were Bat-Bogey Bubblegum, Furnunculus Feast, Jelly-legs Jelly Beans, Drooling Drops, Pointing Pixies and Ravishing Robes.  
  
'I can see what Bat-Bogey Bubblegum would do, and Jelly-Legs Jelly Beans and Drooling Drops too, but what about the others?'  
  
Fred started to explain. 'Furnuculus Feast is a chocolate sprinkle. You can sprinkle it on any type of food or dessert, and whoever eats it will break out in boils.'  
  
'One of the masterpieces, if I do say so myself,' George chimed in.  
  
'Pointing Pixies,' Fred continued, 'are just that. They will follow their victim wherever they go, pointing at them and giggling. Not painful, but quite embarrassing and annoying, because they will hang around for several hours.'  
  
'As Ron found out two weeks ago,' Ginny giggled, while Ron's expression darkened.  
  
'Well, yes, that's ancient history, right Ron. We are forgiven and all is well in the Weasley brotherhood once more,' Fred sniggered. 'Now, the Ravishing Robes are developed especially for greasy gits and other Slytherin trash. They look just like normal robes, you have to cast a simple spell to transfigure them to the colour, style and size you require. The most common robes, such as school robes, and the robes of everyone we know, have been pre-programmed. So, you transfigure the robes to make them an exact copy of the robes your victim wears. As the victim puts on the robes, however, they will transfigure. Men's robes turn either pink or lilac, with lots of frills and lace. Women's robes will transfigure into a tight-fitting latex suit with buckles, and a leather cape.' Fred and George were glowing with pride, and Harry silently thanked the powers that had led Mrs Weasley out of the kitchen, just before the twins had started explaining.  
  
'So what you are saying is that we can transfigure Snape's robes without even being near him? Because that is awesome!'  
  
Fred and George nodded simultaneously, and opened their mouths to speak, but Hermione interrupted.  
  
'Not that I want anything to do with this, but couldn't the victim just take the robes off again. What's the use of that?'  
  
'Ah, Hermione, you have underestimated us,' said Fred, a look of mock- disappointment on his face. 'We have cast several spells and a time-delay on them. As soon as they are put on, they will stay on for the next 12 hours. And there is nothing anyone can do about it. Anyone except Dumbledore, at least.'  
  
George cut in. 'The one sad thing is that we have no way of returning the robes to the owner. As soon as the victim can take them off again, they will most likely burn them, or toss them out. We have yet to find a spell that returns the robes to the owner automatically after it has been worn for 12 hours.'  
  
Harry, Ron and Ginny's eyes all shone with mischief, and even Hermione seemed to be slightly enjoying the vision of Snape in pink lace robes. They were brutally brought back to reality as Mrs Weasley entered the kitchen again, followed by Bill and Fleur.  
  
'Happy birthday, Harry,' said Bill as he placed a small parcel in front of Harry. 'This is from me and Fleur.'  
  
'Nice to see you again, Harry, and a happy birthday,' said Fleur, smiling just a wee shyly.  
  
'Nice to see you again too, Fleur. And what happened to your accent? You can hardly hear you're from France anymore.'  
  
It was true that Fleur's English had improved a lot over the last year and a bit. Instead of speaking English with a thick French accent, she spoke it in a light, singsong manner. Fleur blushed slightly as she said, 'Well, thank you, but very much people have been helping me. I have had a great tutor.'  
  
Bill grinned and blushed, too, as he decided to let Fleur's most recent grammatical error slip. 'Well, Harry, are you going to open your gift, or do you want to give it back to me. Because I wouldn't mind keeping it myself, you know.'  
  
Harry was quick to unwrap his gift after Bill's 'threat'. He was surprised to unwrap a small bottle, which he eyed wearily, as it read 'Poison, pour homme'. He didn't understand what 'pour homme' might mean, but Poison was quite clear. 'Huh?'  
  
'C'est l'eau de cologne, petit pois,' Fleur giggled.  
  
If Harry's confusion had not been complete before, it sure was now. The only people who seemed as lost as Harry were Ron, Fred and George.  
  
'Honestly, Mum,' said Ginny, 'you could have included a bit of grooming in their upbringing. Look at the looks on their faces. The poor boys are totally lost.'  
  
Hermione giggled, and even Mrs Weasley couldn't suppress a small laugh.  
  
Bill decided to put Harry out of his misery, and he smiled guiltily. 'I have to admit I had no idea about all this until a couple of months ago either. It's like aftershave, Harry. Sort of like perfume for men. On the look of horror on his brothers' and Harry's faces, he added, 'But a lot more masculine, of course.'  
  
Still eyeing the bottle warily, Harry unscrewed the cap and sniffed carefully. It actually didn't smell that bad. As he passed it round for the others to smell, he thanked Fleur and Bill.  
  
While the others were talking to Fleur, Harry decided to confront Bill with the question that had been on his mind since he had learned she was coming. 'Not to offend you or anything, Bill, but how come Fleur can come here. She now obviously knows the location of Headquarters, even though Neville and Seamus can't be told about it. What makes her different from the rest?'  
  
Bill smiled. 'Fleur is the newest member of the Order, Harry. She joined last week. And although we never can be 100% sure, we do some thorough checks on all new members. Fleur checked out just fine. I think Dumbledore might be reluctant to let people outside of the Order, except for you, Ron, Ginny and Hermione, of course, know where we are. And I can't way I blame him.'  
  
'Hey, hang on. You didn't mention Fred and George. Are they in the Order now, too?'  
  
George seemed to have overheard Harry's question and nodded. 'Yup. Mum was quite reluctant to let us in, but we are of age, and out of school, so there was really nothing she could do about it.'  
  
Although Harry was sitting with his back towards Mrs Weasley, he could feel her scowl.  
  
'Awesome, now you can let us in on all the Order secrets,' Harry said in a hushed voice.  
  
'Sorry mate, oath of secrecy and all that,' George whispered. As he saw the look of anger on Harry's voice, he continued. 'Don't get all worked up now, Harry. We only took that oath because they promised us they would let you in on all the important stuff soon enough. And yes, we believe them. Just give us till the end of summer, if they haven't turned around by then, we'll tell you all you want to know.'  
  
Harry knew there was nothing else he could do. He would just have to trust Fred and George.  
  
The next guests to come in were Tonks, Mr Weasley and Remus. After a chanted 'Happy birthday, Harry' Tonks gave Harry a hug and handed him a small gift.  
  
'Tonks, you didn't!' Harry exclaimed. 'You already bought me all those clothes, they were supposed to be my birthday present.'  
  
'I know, but I just couldn't resist. And it's only a small thing. Just open it, okay?'  
  
Reluctantly, Harry opened the small gift. In the box lay a small, silver ring, much too small to fit around Harry's finger. Besides, it looked like a girl's ring anyway.  
  
'Don't look at it like that, Harry. I saw it, and the small emerald reminded me of you. You might like to give it to someone, someday.'  
  
Now it was Harry's turn to go red in the face. It was plain what Tonks meant, but he wouldn't know who to give it to for the world. 'Thanks Tonks, you really shouldn't have, but thanks a lot,' he stammered, as the rest of the room laughed at his obvious embarrassment.  
  
'I guess now would be my turn, but I would like to give you my gift in private, Harry. It's not really my gift as is, and I think you might like to look at it when everything's a bit more quiet. Do you mind?'  
  
Harry wondered what this secret gift might be, but he shook his head. 'Sure I don't mind, whatever you think is best. After all, you know what it is.'  
  
'Great, I'm coming by tomorrow for another lesson, we can do it then. I have, however, got Hagrid's gift with me. Albus asked me to wish you a happy birthday, he said he was very sorry, but he can't make it tonight.'  
  
Harry unwrapped a pair of house slippers that seemed to be made from real bear claws. Hagrid's gifts could often be a little odd, and this time it was no exception.  
  
'Eww,' Hermione exclaimed, 'don't get me wrong, Hagrid always gives things with the best intentions, but, ewwww. Those things are not exactly appetizing.'  
  
Harry had to agree with Hermione. The slippers would undoubtedly be quite warm and snuggly, but he didn't feel like wearing some dead animal's feet.  
  
All of the sudden, all the lights in the kitchen were extinguished. Ginny let out a small cry, before they all saw the large birthday cake with lit candles on top drift towards the table. The cake landed right in front of Harry, and the candles lit his excited face.  
  
'Happy birthday, dear,' he heard Mrs Weasley say behind him. 'Now, blow out the candles and make a wish.'  
  
Harry fixed his eyes on the top of the cake, which was covered in a think layer of chocolate frosting. Green letters on it read, 'Happy 16th Harry', as they seemed to be shimmering in the candlelight.  
  
Concentrating on his wish, he took a deep breath and blew all 16 candles out in one go. Immediately, the lights came back on, and Mrs Weasley whispered in his ear, 'Don't tell anyone what your wish was, or it won't come true.'  
  
Harry doubted if his wish would come true even if he did keep it all to himself. And even though he doubted it would come true, he knew that he would not be able to tell anyone about it. If his friends would be shocked about the prophecy, his wish might blow them away.  
  
He turned to Mrs Weasley and managed to produce a smile. 'Thanks so much, Mrs Weasley. This truly is the best birthday anyone could wish for.'  
  
Mrs Weasley just smiled and handed him a knife. 'Whatever makes you happy, dear, we will always try to do it. If you would like to cut the cake, that would be wonderful.'  
  
'And when you're through with that,' Mr Weasley added, 'we also have something we would like to give to you.'  
  
Harry's protests that the party and cake, not to mention them caring for him, had been more than enough, were drowned in compliments on the cake, bestowed on Mrs Weasley. And as Harry finally got around to eating a piece himself, he reckoned the praise was not exaggerated.  
  
When everyone had finished their cake, Mr Weasley placed a gift the size of an ink jar in front of Harry. 'Happy birthday Harry, and many happy returns. I hope you like it.'  
  
Harry quickly unwrapped the gift. In front of him lay a brass pocket watch. As he opened it, he saw the dial had Roman numerals. The lid on the inside had been inscribed, it read 'To Harry, love, Arthur and Molly'. Harry wanted to thank them, and tell them how much he liked it, but he really didn't trust his voice.  
  
'We noticed you didn't have a watch anymore,' Mrs Weasley said as Harry remained silent. 'There's more though, if you just push that little pin on the side.'  
  
As Harry pushed the pin, a second dial appeared. However, this one was much more like the Weasley clock at the Burrow. The arms displayed the names of the members of the Weasley family, Hermione, Remus and Professor Dumbledore. The places where the numerals would normally be read 'School', 'Work', 'Traveling', 'Home', 'Prison', 'Mortal Peril', 'On Order Business' and 'Dead'.  
  
'We had to make a couple of adjustments, as you can see,' Mr Weasley added. As we are at Headquarters so often, both the Burrow and Grimmauld Place are considered 'Home' now. Also, most of the time when we are on Order business, the arm would point at 'Mortal Peril'. You can imagine what kind of shock that would give whoever sees it. That is why we added 'On Order Business'.  
  
Harry still felt speechless, but unless he wanted the Weasleys to think he didn't like it, or that he was ungrateful, he would have to say something soon. 'It's absolutely perfect, thank you so much. It's just amazing. I really don't know what to say. If only I'd had something like this last year, maybe then Sirius-,' Harry choked and ran out of the room.  
  
He sprinted upstairs and threw himself on his bed. 'Great job, Harry! Could you have looked any more ungrateful?' he told himself. This had not been the plan. Sure, it had been difficult seeing Sirius' empty chair all the time. But it was not like Sirius had ever been on his birthday before, except perhaps his first one.  
  
Since he had returned to Grimmauld Place, every little corner of the place had reminded Harry of Sirius. When he walked down the hall, he could hear Sirius sing 'God rest ye, merry Hippogryffs'. But until this moment he had avoided a breakdown. He had led to believe that their makeover of the house had erased Sirius' marks on it, and he had liked it that way. It was true that the transformation of the house made the pain of returning a little less, but it still hurt a lot. It hurt like hell, truth be told.  
  
But Harry knew that he would have to face up to the pain and the memories if he wanted to move on. And he knew he had to move on. If not for himself, then for the rest of the world. He was the boy from the Prophecy, the fate of wizardkind depended on him. Once again, Harry felt like raging at the unfairness of it all. His heart felt like it might break into pieces any minute now, and he mindlessly punched his pillow until he heard the door open.  
  
Turning around, he saw Ginny standing in the doorway. 'Harry? Are you alright? I mean...well...you know... Can I come in for a moment?'  
  
Although Harry had felt like being alone just a short minute ago, he didn't feel like that anymore. 'Sure,' he nodded, 'join me. You want to hit a pillow too? You can have Ron's, if you like.'  
  
Ginny looked at him sternly. 'Joke all you want, Harry. I can read you. Ever since you came back here, you have been walking around like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. You might think no one sees it, but we do. At least, I do. I hate seeing you like this. And that reaction to Mum and Dad's present just now wasn't anything like you either. You know you can trust us, don't you?'  
  
Harry once again felt his temper rising. 'And what if I would be literally carrying the world on my shoulders? What would you be saying then? You don't know anything, Ginny! You might think you do, but you really don't! So why don't you just go back downstairs, tell them I'm okay and that I'll be back shortly.'  
  
'Oh no,' said Ginny, 'don't even think you can get rid of me that easily. What I would do if you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? I would tell you again to trust your friends, Harry. If not me, then Ron or Hermione. And don't try to tell me that I don't know, because I do. I don't know what exactly is bugging you, but I do understand. Just like you probably would be able to understand what it feels like to keep a big secret. Just like you would understand what guilt feels like. What terror feels like. I know you must be terrified, Harry, in other ways than the others, because you know who we're dealing with. I know too. You might like to feel misunderstood, but you have no real claim to feel that way. If you could just trust your friends to help you. That's all we're asking. Trust us, and let us help.'  
  
'I let you help once before, and it almost got all of you killed,' Harry said softly.  
  
'You have heard this before, and I will say it to you again. We can make up our own minds, Harry. We wanted to help you. That was our choice, and you would have had no right to deny us that choice. You will not help any of us by pushing us away.'  
  
'I know that,' Harry said. 'And I'm not pushing you away. Not really. It's just hard, and confusing. And you are right, I'm not the only one who knows who we are actually dealing with. I am, however, the only one who has lost both parents and a godfather to this person, and who also happens to be the chosen kid.'  
  
Ginny looked at him, not understanding what he had just said, and Harry felt like sticking his foot in his mouth. 'Harry? What did you mean when you said 'chosen kid'? Surely-. The prophecy! You have heard the prophecy!' The look on Ginny's had changed to shock. 'But how? It smashed in the Department of Mysteries, you said so yourself.'  
  
Harry knew there would be no escape from this one. Ginny had caught on way to quickly, and she wouldn't let go until he had told her. And for some reason, Harry didn't really mind telling Ginny.  
  
'You're right, Ginny. I did hear the prophecy, and it did smash in the Department of Mysteries. However, the sphere that smashed was just a recording of it. The actual prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney, to Dumbledore.'  
  
'Sybill Trelawney? Professor Trelawney? That old fraud? Surely it can't be a real one.'  
  
'Oh, I can assure you it is real. Very real. Are you prepared to hear it?'  
  
Ginny nodded ferociously.  
  
iThe one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ...'/i  
  
Harry didn't dare look at Ginny as he finished reciting his destiny. 'This prophecy was made only a short while before I was born. Voldemort knows the first couple of lines of the prophecy, but he has never heard it in total. It could have been about either me or another boy. About Neville, to be more specific, because we were both born at the end of July, and our parents both escaped Voldemort three times. It's about me because Voldemort thought it was about me.' Harry still didn't dare to look up, but he had to as he heard Ginny giggle softly.  
  
'Silly,' she said, before continuing in a more serious tone. 'Is that what you have been so afraid of telling us. Because if it is so, you might want to give us a bit more credit. We have spent weeks trying to figure out what this prophecy might have entailed, and this is more a confirmation of our suspicions than a revelation.'  
  
Harry looked at her, quite indignantly. 'So, it doesn't shock you that I have to kill Voldemort, or die myself? It doesn't shock you that that is the whole reason for my existence? And how did you know? How did you figure this out?'  
  
'Of course we are shocked that that is the way things seem to be at this time, but you are forgetting the very essence of prophecies. Just think about self-fulfilling prophecies, and the power of suggestion. What would you do when someone would tell you you were going to die? Would you take your own life, would you panic and get into an accident, or would you answer that everyone will die some time? A prophecy is just that, Harry. A glimpse into the future. A future that can be changed by many factors. You need to believe you have control over your life. You can't let your life be controlled by something like this.'  
  
'But isn't the main feature of a prophecy,' Harry interjected, 'that a prophecy will come true no matter what you do? If you look at the ancient Greeks, at Oedipus. His prophecy still came to be, even though his father tried to prevent it.'  
  
'Forget the ancient Greeks and Oedipus, we are talking about you now. There are so many factors involved in prophecies coming to be, too many to think of. Imagine, what if You-Know-Who hadn't killed your parents, if he hadn't given you that scar? I know what you are going to say. 'But he did', right? I'm just trying to make you see that you always have choices. And several of those choices can lead to what is described in the prophecy. Others might not. If Oedipus' father had killed Oedipus with his own hands, he would have never turned up as a grown man. He wouldn't have killed his father and he wouldn't have slept with his mother. Possibly something else might have happened, but that's the thing about the future, Harry. We can never be sure about anything. I know I might not be making a lot of sense right now, but that's true for prophecies as well. They are open for interpretation, don't you agree.'  
  
Although Harry felt confused about what Ginny had said, he had to agree with her on that. 'Sure, but I don't think there are many interpretations for this one.'  
  
'I can think of one. It says that neither can live while the other survives. You could interpret that as saying that neither of you is living now. After all, so far you have both survived. And if neither can live while the other survives, you must both be un-alive. Do you agree with that?'  
  
Harry couldn't help but smile at her use of warped logic. 'Of course I wouldn't agree with that, I'm plenty alive, thanks.'  
  
'You have just made my point, Harry. Interpretation. That is what prophecies are about: choices and interpretation. I can understand if you have to give this some more thought.'  
  
Harry nodded. 'Yes, it will take some time to make sense of. You so seem to have some valid points however. But I still can't help but feel afraid because of this prophecy.'  
  
'I don't blame you, Harry. It's a prophecy that would make a lot of impact. But just look at it this way. If you would hear a prophecy you would fall of your broom during the next game of Quidditch, you could show several reactions to that. 1: You could stop playing Quidditch altogether. 2: You would play the game, and not fall off, but you wouldn't enjoy it because you were clinging with both hands to your broom all the time, and the other Seeker caught the Snitch. 3: You would play the game, and fall off your broom because you believe so strongly in the prophecy. 4: You would skip this game, play the next one, and fall off your broom because you feel you can't escape destiny. 5: You would skip the game, play the next one and not fall off because you think you have cheated destiny. 6: You can play the game and stay on your broom because you will not let this prophecy shake you up. You might be a bit more careful, though, and dodge a Bludger that otherwise would have knocked you off your broom. As I'm trying to illustrate here, is that you have several choices. I can think of more, but I think this is enough for now. You will have more success if you take a prophecy more as a warning than as a general truth.' Ginny seemed next to exhaustion with her speech.  
  
'You might not believe it,' said Harry, 'but you're actually starting to make sense.'  
  
Ginny smiled. 'Good. Now for your question. How did we figure out the general content of the prophecy. First we looked at your history with Voldemort. It was miraculous that you survived his attack when you were a baby, and it was logical he would want to take revenge on you for that. But if you look at the way he came after you. Even when he was still weak, during your first year, he came after you with a vengeance. You seem to be the only thing on his mind, even though someone like Dumbledore would be a much bigger threat to him. Or so one might think. The fact that he didn't even try to return to power before coming after you suggest something more than revenge. In our opinion, it suggested fear that you might be able to keep him from returning to power, which you did. At the age of 11. One might conclude that he was after you because he knew something the rest of us didn't. Hermione discovered that it wasn't You-Know-Who's habit to Avada Kedavra infants. He didn't have a problem with killing children or infants, but he never seemed to use Avada Kedavra on them. He left that to his Death Eaters, or he would use more cruel means to let them die. Often he would also just leave them to die in their parents' burning house. In fact, You-Know-Who didn't really busy himself with basic killings anymore. Those two things combined would also imply that he saw you as a threat, something he had to get rid of as soon as possible. Are you still with me?'  
  
Harry nodded, blown away about the sheer logic applied to these theories.  
  
'At this point, we figured that the Voldemort must have heard something about you, something that made him see you as a bigger threat than someone like Dumbledore. This would imply that you had a power that nobody knew anything about, a power that could possibly vanquish him. Why else would he have come after you so often, and when you were so young too. He obviously saw you as one of the bigger threats. So you can see that although we didn't get the exact wording of the prophecy right, we figured most of it out. Either you or him surviving followed logically from that. If you have to fight, then it would be obvious that only one of you would survive in the end. That is, unless you can find another way. I do not pretend to know what it feels like to have to kill someone, even if it is You-Know-Who. But I can promise you that we will help you find a way around that.'  
  
'A way around it?' Harry snorted. 'It's not like we can capture Voldemort, and put him in Azkaban. What would you suggest we do?'  
  
Ginny sighed. 'Could you please quit being so defensive, Harry. As I said, we will do anything in our power to find another way. There has to be another way. If you can't believe that, then what are you still doing here? You could be out, getting some of those Muggle weapons and blow him to bits. But you are still here, and I know you hope just as much as the rest of us that there is still hope. Because without hope, there would be no life.'  
  
'Ginny, when did you get so wise?' said Harry.  
  
'Oh, I've been wise for a long time. You just didn't notice.' Ginny smiled mysteriously. 'Now, is there anything else you would like to discuss with Dr. Weasley?'  
  
'Not really,' said Harry, while inspecting the patches of his quilt. He didn't like the way Ginny seemed to be able to read him without him saying anything.  
  
'I won't press you, Harry, but I will say once again that we are here for you. Although you were much closer to Sirius than any of us, you can talk to us. There is no shame in telling how you feel. You can scream, cry, rant or rave as much as you want, as long as you warn us in advance,' she added laughingly.  
  
'I know,' Harry said, 'and I really appreciate it. Now that you have mentioned it, I do have a question for you. Would you happen to know anything about a group of boys called 'Take That'?'  
  
'I would love to know where that question came from, but as a matter of fact, I do know them. They're a Muggle band, a boy band to be more precise. They're basically 5 guys that do silly dances while singing, and they make lots of girls faint. About a year ago, one of the members left the band and just recently, they announced that they will split up. Now, please explain yourself, why would you be interested in Take That?' Ginny's right eyebrow was raised, and she looked straight at Harry.  
  
But all Harry could do was laugh. And laugh a bit louder. He couldn't believe it. Dudley had obviously been a fan of this band. This band that apparently made 'girls faint'.  
  
'What's so funny,' Ginny asked.  
  
'It's- It's Dudley,' Harry hiccoughed, 'He- And a shirt- Fan-.'  
  
After taking a couple of deep breaths, Harry was able to relate the story to Ginny, who in her turn couldn't stop laughing. 'Oh, that poor boy,' she finally managed to say, 'My friend Darla also was a big fan. That's how I know about them in the first place. She's Muggle-born, and she had a whole scrapbook about them. Did he really say 'Why, boys? Why?''  
  
Harry nodded and felt another fit of uncontrollable laughter coming up.  
  
'Come on' said Ginny, 'let's go downstairs and let the others share in the fun as well.  
  
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A/N: Okay... This one took me a long, long time. Presents were really hard to come up with, and I've had to cut some stuff too. If you don't like it, then, too bad, because this was a lot of work! But of course, constructive criticism will always be welcomed. Please feel free to review to your heart's content, just don't be too hard on me. Thanks!  
  
And no, Ginny isn't Superwoman, or all-knowing. Just so you know. Writers block is almost over and done with, fortunately. I've been writing a lot yesterday, and I hope I'll be able to put the new chapter up one Wednesday (May 5). I probably won't be able to do so on Thursday, due to a snorkelling trip. (Waaahoooo!)  
  
Before I'll give you a little taste of the next chapter, I'd like to inform everyone that reviews with an email address will be responded to in person. So, if you want any explanation on how and why's, just leave your email, and I'll get back to you!  
  
Next chapter: Ghosts from the past ... Remus placed the book he had carried as he walked into the kitchen in front of Harry. It was a light colour blue, and read: 'Baby book: Memoirs of the expecting witch and new mum.' Harry looked at Remus as though he had gone mad. 'No offense, Remus, but somehow I don't think I'll be an expecting witch any time soon.' Remus threw Harry a mock scowl. 'This isn't for you to write in, Harry. It's about you. It's your mum's pregnancy and baby journal. I knew she had kep one, but I always thought it had been destroyed. Somehow Sirius got hold of it, however, and managed to keep it for you all thiese years. There's even a note on it, addressed to Sirius, and instructing him to give this to you on your sixteenth birthday, in case anything would happen. Go on, open it.'... 


	7. Ghosts from the Past

bDisclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything related to his world, and no profit is being made.i Yes, you can start throwing marshmallows at me now. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Encountered some major writers block and was generally disheartened about my story. I've spent the last couple of weeks agonizing over what I would do, and I have changed my main storyline somewhat. My theory was too complicated. Unfortunately. Some other storylines have been discontinued for the time being, although they may come back when I'm in a bit of a lull. Of course, they only existed in my head, so you won't even know they're gone. The old chapters have been edited, and there's a small change here and there. Nothing worth looking back at really, just for my peace of mind. Thanks to everyone who emailed me about updating, and of course to Laurie for prodding me several times. prods back Enjoy!/i  
  
NOTE: I know some people who will be glad that I have finally spell checked this monster. Sorry I didn't do it yesterday, but I was just so happy about having finished it.  
  
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Ghosts from the past  
  
The following morning, Harry woke up to an empty room once again. After getting dressed, he went down to the kitchen and to his surprise, found it to be empty too. Glancing at his new watch, he saw that it was only 7:30 am, and wondered what in the world would have caused such an early start for everyone, Ron in particular.  
  
Although the plates had been cleared off the table, the rest of breakfast was still sitting on the table. As Harry decided to sit down and silence the rumbling sound in his stomach, Remus walked in. He was carrying a large book under his arm, and seemed in no way surprised to find only Harry at the table.  
  
'Morning Remus, would you have any idea where everyone's gone off to?'  
  
'Looks like they haven't filled you in on the new routine yet,' said Remus. 'Ron, Hermione and Ginny usually start working on the house around 7, and Molly has taken up some business for the Order during the mornings. The twins are at the Burrow, as usual during weekdays, and Arthur's at work.'  
  
Harry could do nothing but stare at Remus, mouth agape. Surely he hadn't heard that right. Ron? Up and about at 7 during his holidays? Or during any day for that matter? It just didn't seem quite right.  
  
'You might want to shut your mouth,' said Remus, 'you never know what might fly in, after all. It just goes to show that people can change, doesn't it?'  
  
Harry nodded. 'Then I'd better hurry up and start helping them. Which room are they working on now?'  
  
'They're working on my room, actually, so I've been banned to the guest room for the next couple of days. But if you wouldn't mind, Harry, I would like you to stay for a bit. I brought down your present with me.'  
  
Harry had been wondering would give him that apparently required privacy.  
  
Remus placed the book he had carried under his arm in front of Harry. Remus placed the book he had carried as he walked into the kitchen in front of Harry. It was a light colour blue, and read: 'Baby book: Memoirs of the expecting witch and new mum.' Harry looked at Remus as though he had gone mad. 'No offence, Remus, but somehow I don't think I'll be an expecting witch any time soon.'  
  
Remus threw Harry a mock scowl. 'This isn't for you to write in, Harry. It's about you. It's your mum's pregnancy and baby journal. I knew she had kept one, but I always thought it had been destroyed. Somehow Sirius got hold of it, however, and managed to keep it for you all these years. There's even a note on it, addressed to Sirius, and instructing him to give this to you on your sixteenth birthday, in case anything would happen. Go on, open it.'  
  
Remus gave the book a push in Harry direction. Harry felt both shocked and torn. He wondered why Sirius had never told him about this. He longed to know more of his mother and her thoughts, but on the other hand it felt wrong to read the journal. He didn't know that much about journals, but he did know that they were meant to be private. However, his mother had obviously wanted him to read it. Even though he thought reading it might make him feel like a voyeur, he decided to read it.  
  
He opened the book to find what must be a photo of himself staring back at him. He looked awfully wrinkly and tiny in that photo. Beneath it were his name and birth details. Harry felt odd reading them. He had never known that his time of birth was 11:03 pm, or that he had weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. One more time it struck him that there were so many little things he didn't know about. Mind, he had never really exerted himself at finding them out either, but it was still nice to know. On the next page, he found his mother's first entry.  
  
iDear someone, I have decided to call you Spotty from now on, as you have yet to be born and named properly. Your dad is already referring to you as Jimmy Junior, well, not if I can help it! You have been growing inside me for 4 months now, and have finally stopped making me spew out my insides daily. So, thank you for that. It really is the strangest feeling, knowing that a new life is growing inside of you. Magic in its purest form, in my opinion. As we speak, your father is acting silly again. He reckons he can teach you spells before you are born. Says he's read somewhere that foetuses can subconsciously store information. So now, your father keeps tapping his wand on my tummy, apparently to 'wake you up'. When he's through with that, he'll teach you a new spell. So far, you have supposedly learned 'alohomora' and 'wingardium leviosa'. I do wonder what he'll teach you next. I don't even want to know what would happen if he taught you the Stunning spell, and you happened to be the first foetus to perform wandless magic. I'd probably be stunned permanently, ha! But all silliness on a stick. Silly as your dad is behaving, he's trying to be as involved in this as I am. He walks around with a pillow under his robes, even though I'm not even showing yet. I told him he'd have to change that pillow to a Bludger as the months progress, to add some weight. I've no doubt he'll do that too!/i  
  
Harry continued leafing through the entries, until he remembered where he was. Looking up, he saw that Remus was still sitting across from him, watching him intently.  
  
'Did you read it?' said Harry.  
  
'I must admit I read some of it, yes. I know I probably shouldn't have, as it was obviously meant for you, but I couldn't help it. I discovered it only two weeks after the fight, two weeks after Sirius-,' Remus paused. 'Anyhow, I needed to know what it was before giving it to you. Do you understand?'  
  
Harry nodded. He still felt extremely guilty for having had a hand in the loss of Remus' last old friend, and he would do anything in his power to make him feel better. He understood that Remus has read the book, because it was one of the last ties to his old friends, and he couldn't blame him for that.  
  
Remus smiled. 'I'm glad. The note I mentioned is in the back, with the final entry. If anything will prove what a talented and special witch your mum was, that will.  
  
Harry quickly sought out the last page. It was dated 30 October 1980.  
  
iDearest Harry, You will have undoubtedly noticed the change of tone in my writing. Over the last year, we have been on an emotional rollercoaster. As I've told you so many times, you have been the light in our lives in the gravest of times. I have felt danger approaching for some time, but it's ever more urgent now. We have been in danger for years, but never like this. I fear for our lives. Something is approaching, and I do not know if your father and I will make it out alive. We love so much, Harry, and we would die for you. You're so precious to us, and though neither you now they realize it yet, to the rest of the world as well. There is so much we want you, no, we need you to know, which is the reason the nature of these entries has changed. Because we might not be around to instruct you, I'll have this diary to do it for us. I you are reading this without us present, then I am so, so sorry Harry. I hope the boys have done a great job bringing you up, but I fear things may happen that will prevent that. Please make sure you read this journal carefully, and know that we will always love you.  
  
Love, mum.  
  
Harry's eyes had gone misty and it took him some blinking, and a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure. Saving his questions till later, he turned his attention to the note to Sirius.  
  
iDear Sirius, If you read this, something will have happened to James and I. Hopefully, Harry will be fine. He must be. Please take care of him for us. We have asked the same thing of Remus and peter. Tell him how much we love him, and how proud we are. Tell him we'll always be with him. Enclosed you will find my journal. It is imperative that Harry gets it, and reads it, but not before his sixteenth birthday. He might not understand, too many things could go wrong. Thank you for being our friend and fare well,  
  
Love, Lily./i  
  
After making sure his voice was steady, and he had pushed back the tears that had pushed against his eyes, Harry looked Remus in the eye. 'How did she know? She only wrote that entry the day before they were killed. She seems so sure, how could she have known? It reads like she knew this was her last entry. How did she know, Remus?'  
  
'I wish I could tell you, Harry,' Remus sighed. 'That entry caught me by surprise as well. To me, the most baffling part is that she suspected we wouldn't be able to raise you.'  
  
'No one ever told me you were supposed to.'  
  
Remus looked unspeakably sad. 'We made a pact promising we would take care of each others loved ones should anything happen. By the time I heard of their deaths, Sirius had been sent to Azkaban, Peter was, for all we knew, dead, and you were well on your way to the Dursleys. Of course I would have tried to take care of you, but Dumbledore wouldn't even tell me where you were. I doubt I would have been any good anyway, I was a depressed drunk for the first years after Voldemort's fall, and I was never able to hold onto a job for long because of the whole werewolf-business.'  
  
'How did Sirius get the journal?'  
  
Remus shrugged. 'I wouldn't know. Your mum was quite the smart witch, probably as smart as Hermione, but I have never heard of a spell that would move an object to the care of a designated person in the event of the object's owner's death. Maybe she activated some sort of spell during the attack. Maybe Sirius found it in the debris.'  
  
Remus walked around the table and hesitantly put his hand on Harry's shoulder. 'Are you okay?'  
  
Harry nodded. Finally, he had something more than some photos and other people's memories. It was as though he had just received hundreds of letters from his mother, addressed solely to him.  
  
'Your mother obviously placed a lot of importance in you reading this journal. Am I safe to assume you want to start straight away?'  
  
Harry nodded again. 'I'll go up to my room if that's all right. Could you please tell the others that I'll join them as soon as I'm done?'  
  
'Sure, don't rush it, Harry. I'll tell them, and I'll also ask them to leave you alone for a while. Alright?'  
  
Harry smiled gratefully. 'Thanks for everything, Remus.'  
  
He spent the next several hours poring over his mother's journal, reading all her descriptions of her pregnancy and everything that came with it. All entries were written in the same style as the first one, addressed to Spotty. She wrote about the times she felt him move for the first time, how her eating a piece of pumpkin pie would settle him down if he was keeping her up at night, about her expanding waistline, swollen ankles and all types of pregnancy ailments and quirks.  
  
She also described the lengths to which James, Sirius, Remus and Wormtail went to make her laugh when she was feeling crabby. She wrote about the weekend they had all placed a bet on who would make the best pregnant woman. They had all transfigured their bellies to the size of Lily's, who was 8 months along, and had found it a lot harder than expected. Finally, Sirius had been proclaimed winner, after polishing of a bowl of gherkins with whipped cream, having at least 3 bathroom breaks during a meal, riding a bike without bumping his knees into his belly, and going the weekend without Butterbeer or Ogden's Finest. Harry laughed out loud at the mental picture of Sirius acting as a pregnant woman.  
  
But the thing he liked best about the journal was that in almost every entry his mum wrote how much she loved him. Harry thought there must be some truth in all those people saying that you can never hear too many 'I love you's'.  
  
However, a few months after his birth, the tone of the entries changed. An entry dated 12 April 1981 read:  
  
iMy dearest Harry,  
  
There are so many things happening right now. Voldemort's craving for blood seems to be growing by the day. And now we have found out who will have to defeat him. Your father and I are deeply distressed about the prophecy, as are Frank and Alice. You have undoubtedly heard about it by now. It is, after all, by all accounts your destiny. We will be with you every step of the way, whether you can see us or not. Because I feel great danger is coming in our direction, and I can only hope we will all be able to stay together. If not, then you might have no one to guide you. You're special, love. I knew that from the first time I laid eyes on you. You're special in ways you can't even begin to understand. Unless I'm very much mistaken, you'll have noticed some strange things happening by now. Don't fear it, Harry, and don't fight it. It is your destiny, and you will use your powers for good. We love you.  
  
Love, Mum/i  
  
There will several entries like this, all stressing that he was special, all foreseeing that strange things would happen, saying that 'it' was his destiny, that he shouldn't fear 'it', and that he should do research. What kind of research was also left unsaid.  
  
Harry could only assume that his mother had somehow foreseen the unwanted Legilimency, or the way he had picked up his aunt's emotions. He just wondered why she had been so vague. Why, when she knew she would most likely die, didn't she write whatever it was she wanted him to know, instead of all this cryptic stuff?  
  
His heart cried out to his mother, feeling so much closer to her after having read so many of her thoughts. His urge to speak to her was now greater than ever. As he turned the last page, a blinding flash of light came from the book, which wrapped the room in brightness. Then, as fast as it had come, the light died again.  
  
As Harry opened his eyes, he saw that there was now a new page behind what he had thought was the last page. In it was a photo of his parents, somehow looking older, no, wiser; than they had looked in any other photo he had seen of them. His dad was waving enthusiastically as him mum was both smiling and crying at the same time, blowing him kisses. Harry could have sworn they could see him, and that they recognized him. As he softly touched his mother's face, writing in green ink appeared under the photo.  
  
INever fear, Harry. We will always be there for you. We love you!  
Mum & DadI  
  
Harry snapped the book shut and sprinted downstairs, looking for Remus. He found him reading a book in the kitchen. Panting, Harry slapped the book on the table, in front of Remus, and pointed at the new page.  
  
'Could you please tell me what in the world is going on? This page just appeared out of thin air, and that photo somehow looks different.'  
  
Remus looked puzzled. 'It just appeared? True, I haven't seen that page before either, or that photo for that matter.' He looked lost in thought. 'I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't quite know what to make of it. It seems like Lily might have put some additional spells on it. She probably made it so that it only appeared when it was well and truly in your possession, or when you had read it all.'  
  
Harry slumped in his chair. He knew that was the most likely explanation, but for a split second he had hoped that it might have been something more, although he didn't know what.  
  
Remus looked at him carefully. 'So, how did it go? Found some answers?'  
  
Harry shook his head. 'Just more questions, really. You wouldn't be able to tell me what this thing is my mum tells me not to be afraid of?'  
  
'Unfortunately not. I read about that too. But now that we are on that subject, did you notice anything out of the ordinary happening?'  
  
Harry denied that anything had happened, still not feeling sure about exactly what had happened. He thought his former professor looked slightly disappointed at hearing this, but the next moment he looked like nothing was wrong.  
  
'Very well. Not to worry then,' said Remus. 'Dumbledore asked me to tell you he will be around for your Occlumency lesson later tonight.'  
  
'Sure.' Harry didn't mind Occlumency that much anymore. He was glad that he didn't have to spend any more extra "quality time" with Snape, and his skills had been improving rapidly. He had even managed to keep Dumbledore from entering his mind while he was sleeping, although it had taken him 10 minutes to do so. 'I think I'll look up the others now.'  
  
Harry walked into Remus' room only to find himself in the middle of a paint fight. Rollers and brushers were sailing through the room at high speed, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny were crouched behind a sheet-covered armchair, the bed, and a chest of drawers respectively.  
  
He was grateful for his Seeker-reflexes as he heard Ginny cry out 'new target!', and he dropped to the floor. He heard several solid objects colliding with the door behind him. 'I give! I give!' he cried out, and looked up carefully. But even his reflexes couldn't save him from the inevitable attack as Ron dove on top of him, pinning him facedown to the ground, and Ginny started to paint his hair red.  
  
He glanced up to see Hermione grinning down at him. Her hair looked very much like a bucket of paint had been dumped over it. 'Fighting is useless, Harry. They have decided to Weasleyfy us.'  
  
'Which is a great honour, if you ask me,' Ginny replied. 'Besides, the world looks a lot more colourful once you join the Red Side. There, you're done!' Ginny dabbed a final spot of red on his nose.  
  
'Ron! You can get off him now. I highly doubt that Harry is enjoying having you on his back. Unless, of course, you might be enjoying it?' Ginny added with a sly smile.  
  
Ron jumped up faster than he would have had he been stung in the behind by a bee, exclaiming 'eeewww, eeewww', as the other were laughing.  
  
Harry finally managed to take a look around the room and the sight wasn't too pretty. Harry's hair now matched 1 white wall and 3 brown walls that were covered in red blobs.  
  
Hermione took one look at his face before she started defending herself. 'We were supposed to do two white walls, and two red walls with white squares in the middle. You know, to give it a bit of depth, and a seventies- feel. However, genius over here,' she nudged at Ron, 'though the walls might look better spotted. And so he started throwing our equipment around. As you can see – Oh! Honestly, Ron! Just leave it!' she exclaimed suddenly.  
  
Harry sniggered as her looked over at Ron, who was now trying to make neat circles out of the blobs covering the walls.  
  
Ginny, who had obviously gotten quite as efficient in spotting one of Ron's and Hermione's rows a mile away, quickly interrupted. 'Well, we won't be able to do anything about those walls now; the paint will have to dry first. I'll just go down and make us some sandwiches, shall I?'  
  
As Ginny left for the kitchen, the others sat down on the sheet-covered floors.  
  
'Ron?' Harry said. 'Have you figured out what you want to do about your NEWTs yet? Did you ask Snape if he would let you take Potions even with that E?'  
  
'I asked all right, and he had the grandest time denying that request. No worries, though. I hadn't really expected him to let me take it anyway. I still haven't chosen my subject, though, and mum's having a right fit about it. She keeps reminding me that it can't be that hard to pick NEWTS out of 'only' 8 OWLs. She doesn't even care I got as much as Fred and George combined. I still can't believe I got one OWL more than you, Harry. It's amazing that I actually passed History of Magic. Of course, we can't all get perfect scores like our Hermione-' Ron stopped at the sight of Harry's face.  
  
'I truly am glad for you, Ron,' said Harry, 'and I'm sorry you didn't get an O for Potions, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you never mentioned the History of Magic exam again.' It had taken him a lot of strength to say this in a quiet and composed voice. It wasn't that he wanted to put Ron down, but the memory of that day was still too painful. And not the least painful was the vision he'd had during that exam.  
  
Ron's eyes grew wide as apprehension dawned on him. Hermione quickly intervened.  
  
'Well, I for one don't know what I shall do. I'm afraid 12 NEWTs will not be a possibility, and I'm still thinking about what I want to do when we finish school.  
  
'Let's just try to make it out of school alive, shall we?' said Harry grimly. He had decided this would be the time to discuss the prophecy with his friends.  
  
They reacted not as shocked as Harry might have expected had he not spoken to Ginny, but not as optimistically as she had either. His heart sank as he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes, and Ron's white face, when he recited the prophecy. He couldn't help but be slightly surprised at their reaction. After Ginny's optimism, he had allowed himself a little bit of hope.  
  
'Didn't you expect anything like this? I mean, Ginny said-,'  
  
'You talked to Ginny about this before us?' Ron interrupted, but he quickly shut his mouth as Hermione pinched his arm.  
  
'Well,' she said, evidently searching for words, 'yes, we expected something of this nature. But it's still quite a shock to actually hear the words, don't you agree?'  
  
Harry couldn't agree more, and Hermione continued. 'However, as Ginny undoubtedly told you, a prophecy's only a prophecy. Besides, you know how I feel about Seeing and Divination. Lucky guesswork, if you ask me. I understand lots of prophecies come true, but there are some cases where the people involved found a way around them. And I say, that's what we will try to do.' Her voice was sounding much more determined now, and Ron nodded fiercely.  
  
'We won't let you deal with You-Know-Who alone,' said Ron.  
  
'Please, Ron!' Hermione exclaimed. 'We've been practicing for almost three weeks now. Just say it. Voldemort.'  
  
'If you had the memories that I have, Hermione, you would think twice before saying that name.' Ron had a grave look on his face.  
  
Harry felt deeply ashamed of himself. Since his arrival, he hadn't enquired once after his best friend's brainscarring.  
  
'I'm so sorry, Ron. How are things going with those memories?' said Harry.  
  
'It's going,' Ron said dully. 'They've tried to get them out, but it looks like that's not possible. I've found out who they belong too. They're mostly memories of Aurors, from You-Know-Who's heyday. I've even got some of Moody's memories in there. Apparently, Aurors were given the option to have some memories tapped into the brains, to dull the pain of what they'd seen. Apparently, the memories are only taken out for Auror-training, to prepare new recruits for what they might see.'  
  
Harry could now stop wondering why Ron wasn't looking that dashing. If even Moody had used these brains, then those memories must be some of the worst in existence. Probably bad enough to give even the bravest person nightmares. And if there was one thing Harry could understand, it was nightmares.  
  
'Silencing Charm?' he asked quietly, already suspecting the answer. Ron nodded. 'Yeah, I get a Dreamless Sleeping Potion once a week, but I'm not allowed to take it more often. Apparently, you need to dream to work through things that happen during the day. It's getting better, though. I have learned how to oppress the memories during the day. I just don't get a lot of sleep, that's all.'  
  
'Well, same here, mate,' Harry couldn't help grinning slightly. 'Looks like we've both been putting Silencing Charms on our beds.'  
  
A small sob to the left turned Harry's attention to Hermione. 'You too?' he asked, surprised.  
  
Hermione nodded. 'I keep hearing Bellatrix Lestrange when I close my eyes. It's getting a bit better, but I fear we might have to get used to it. Who knows what other things we might see.'  
  
Harry's heart went out to his friends. If it hadn't been for his stupidity, they wouldn't be having nightmares. The guilt welled up in him again.  
  
Then a quiet voice spoke from across the room. Ginny had come in again, unnoticed, carrying a tray of sandwiches and 4 bottles of Butterbeer. 'Don't go there, Harry. We've been through this. We don't blame you for what happened, so neither should you. What's this anyway? Group therapy? Come on, let's eat.'  
  
Harry hadn't noticed he was starving, but he wouldn't let her off the hook that easily. As Ron started stuffing his face with a turkey sandwich, and Hermione looked on in disgust, Harry pulled Ginny aside.  
  
'How do you do that?' he said.  
  
'Do what?' she asked innocently.  
  
'Know what I'm thinking all the time.'  
  
'Oh, Harry,' Ginny smiled, 'it's not really that hard. Your body language is extremely easy to read. When you want to be alone, you slouch slightly, and have this grave look on your face. When you're not telling the truth, your eyes dart all over the place and you rub the tip of your left foot with your right. When you're emotional, you focus on one spot like it's the most interesting thing in the world, and your breathing gets a bit heavier. And when you're feeling guilty you slouch, bite your lower lip, run your hands through your hair and get this absent look in your eyes.'  
  
Harry wanted to argue with her, but after some consideration, he found that she was right.  
  
'And now,' Ginny continued, 'you have come to the conclusion that I'm right, and you're thinking about how brilliant I am.'  
  
'Almost,' Harry laughed. Then, he remembered something he had been meaning to ask her.  
  
'Ginny?' he said tentatively. 'What happened between you and Dean?'  
  
She tried to smile as she spoke. 'Him? Couldn't handle me not telling him where I was over the summer. Missed me too much, apparently.'  
  
'Two can play this body language game, Gin. Come on, spill.'  
  
Ginny started speaking very fast, as if she felt she might not be able to continue if she paused. 'I saw him, okay! We all saw him. We were allowed to go to Diagon Alley for 2 hours to get some ice cream, and he was at Florean's. He was snogging Maisy Catasin.'  
  
'WHAT?' Harry exclaimed. Maisy Catasin? From Slytherin?!'  
  
Ginny nodded. 'He sent me an owl the next day, about how he didn't like me being away all summer. Never mentioned her, of course.' Ginny was bright red in the face, but Harry could see that this time she wasn't blushing. She was very, very angry.  
  
He decided to move away from the subject for the time being, as it obviously wasn't improving the collective mood in the room. He couldn't believe Dean was capable of something like that. How could he cheat on Ginny, with a Slytherin no less? Harry found it quite unbelievable.  
  
As they were all quietly enjoying their lunch, something occurred to Harry.  
  
'Ron? Tonks said you would be joining training. Why is that?'  
  
'As I said, the brain has transferred mostly Auror-memories. Now I've got knowledge of several big fights between the Death Eaters and Aurors. I know what things work when fighting them, and what is just a waste of time. I've had lots of time to observe their strengths and weaknesses, without actually being in danger.'  
  
'Awesome,' said Harry. 'I have a feeling we might be needing that kind of knowledge soon enough.'  
  
Another couple of moments were passed in silence, until Hermione spoke. 'Harry, don't you want to know what Voldemort is up to?' She shot Ron an unreadable look as he shuddered at the name.  
  
Harry shrugged. 'According to the Daily Prophet, he's not up to much. I've seen a couple of disappearances on the Muggle-news, but I didn't think any of them were Voldemort-related.'  
  
'Oh, Harry,' Hermione exclaimed, exasperatedly. 'What will it take for you to stop believing anything the Daily Prophet reports? Honestly!' She started to turn red, but continued quietly as she sensed Harry's bewilderment.  
  
'It does seem like most Muggle-disappearances aren't magic-related, but there are some coincidences. Did you hear about Mary Deary?'  
  
Harry couldn't say he had. The name certainly didn't ring any bells.  
  
'She disappeared two weeks ago, apparently left a note saying she'd gone on a last-minute holiday. Her family didn't trust it, and filed a missing person's report. But get this-.' Hermione paused, 'she's Dennis and Colin Creevey's ex-aunt. Apparently, she recently divorced their mother's brother.' 'But that's not all,' she continued quickly. 'Just last week, a boy disappeared. The police is treating is as a runaway case. Robbie O'Dwyer left to play football on Tuesday night, but never got to the field. And this Robbie is Seamus's second cousin.'  
  
Harry tried to take all this news in. Here he had been, all this time thinking that Voldemort was keeping quiet, biding his time. How wrong he had been. 'How did you guys find all this stuff out? It's not like those family relations are really apparent.'  
  
'Fred and George, mostly. They reckon that if it affects a Gryffindor, we have a right to know. We've tried to get some more information from them, but they're pretty tight-lipped. Say we'll know in due time, whatever that may mean. Anyhow, they say Voldemort's up to his old tricks again. Remember that the years of his rise were marked with disappearances? However, we're talking about Muggles now, and those disappearances were always directly related to the wizarding world. What would he want with distant relatives of Muggleborn or mixed blood wizards?' Hermione had said this all a couple of breaths, musing to herself.  
  
The discussed Voldemort until it was time for tea. At 7:30, Dumbledore arrived, and Harry went to the study for Occlumency. The study hadn't been fixed up yet, but it had been made liveable.  
  
Harry sat down at the desk, facing the ancient headmaster. Dumbledore smiled at him.  
  
'So far, you have been making excellent progress, better than anyone could have expected. You have become excellent at warding me off during eye contact, and you are getting better in your sleep as well. Now, I would like to start with installing an alarm.'  
  
'An alarm, sir?' Harry frowned.  
  
'Yes, I believe that would be the best description. It's meant to detect another presence in your head, so that you can see the difference between true and false information.'  
  
Harry was still frowning.  
  
'I will explain further. Your connection with Voldemort works two ways. The first way is when you have entered his consciousness. The information you gathered at those times has proved to be both important and accurate. We will be studying this further at a later date. If you could control this, it would be of great value. It is for this reason that I have decided not to teach you to close down completely during your sleep. Not only would it be unwholesome, as it would stop dreaming at all, but it would also disconnect a possibly valuable connection. This has been a very hard decision for me to make, but with the right alarm, everything should work out fine. It is when Voldemort enters your mind that we have to be careful. Last time, he made it seem like what you were seeing in the vision was the truth, and you didn't feel his presence in your mind. Now, every Legilimens will leave a certain signature, a hint of an emotion. The stronger the Legilimens, the harder this signature is to detect. Are you still with me on this, Harry?'  
  
'But I don't understand. Last year you wanted me to be able to repel all visions, even the useful ones. What's changed? I just have to let him go ahead with reading my mind?'  
  
'No, Harry, not go ahead. This only goes for your sleep. It's all about being able to see the difference between what is true and what is false. And things have changed drastically. It is imperative we know what Voldemort is up to, and we don't always know. This method will not put you in any danger, in fact, it will make you safer, because you will know if a vision has been manipulated or not.'  
  
'Well, let's do it then. What do I have to do?'  
  
'It's quite easy, actually, but it will not be pleasant. In fact, it will be painful. Emotionally, not physically, that is.' Dumbledore looked across the desk, slightly uncertain. But Harry was ready.  
  
'Let's go for it.'  
  
'Remember the last time I entered your mind. Remember the sensation. Remember how you could tell it was I entering your mind, instead of another wizard. Now, find my signature, the recognition, and give it a colour. And stay focused.'  
  
Harry strained his mind until he found the slight hint of serenity that accompanied Dumbledore entering his mind. It was hard to detect, but as he found it he said, 'purple'. A bolt of purple lightning flashed before his eyes.  
  
'Very good,' Dumbledore went on. 'Now for Professor Snape. The last time he entered you mind he left his signature as well. Look for the emotion that accompanied his presence. It will be harder to detect than mine, so remain focused.'  
  
Harry was having a hard time fining Snape's signature. Then, he felt a very slight hint of what felt like jealousy. 'Green.' A bolt of green lighting flashed before his eyes.  
  
'Excellent, Harry, you're doing very well.' Dumbledore's voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. 'Now, please stay relaxed while I ask you to do the next thing. I need you to remember the last time Voldemort entered your mind.'  
  
Harry could feel heart beating faster. That was one of the last things he wanted to focus on, to remember so clearly. It was the time he had had the fake vision of Sirius.  
  
Dumbledore spoke again. 'You'll be fine, Harry. Try not to focus on the vision itself, but on the source of the vision. It will be very hard as he most likely tried to hide his signature, and he made you think you were having a bonafide vision. But he must have left his signature somewhere. Relax, and focus, you will find it.'  
  
Harry didn't know how much time had passed since he started looking for Voldemort's signature. Then, he felt a sharp stab of malice. 'Red!' A red lightning bolt formed before his eyes as he slumped in his chair, only to jump up again very quickly. As soon as he had spoken the word, what seemed like a bucket of icy water was thrown into his face. He immediately snapped out of the trance-like state, and looked at Dumbledore.  
  
He was now standing across from Harry, eyes twinkling mischievously, with an empty bucket in his hands. 'There you have your alarm, Harry' he said, corners of his mouth twitching.  
  
Harry didn't think it was so funny. He was wet, and very cold. 'What did you do that for?'  
  
Dumbledore muttered something under his breath, and started drying Harry's clothes while explaining. 'I'm sorry, but I couldn't warn you about this. It wouldn't have worked. You see, that feeling of icy cold shock is something you will feel every time Voldemort might try to enter you mind. And he will not know that you know. The shock is associated with the colour red, which is what you gave his presence.'  
  
Harry still wasn't too happy, but at least his clothes were almost dry again, and he was doing it for a good cause. He took a look at his new watch, and was startled to find out it was quarter to twelve. He quickly checked the other dial, and was relieved to see everyone was safe where they ought to be. Then he yawned and stood up from his chair.  
  
'Harry, one more moment, if you don't mind,' said Dumbledore.  
  
'What is it?' Harry said, a bit sharper than intended.  
  
'For the last few weeks, the Order has been discussing what to do with you and your friends. Most of us feel that keeping you out of the loop is not safe anymore. After all, you have proved time and time again that if we won't tell you what's going on, you'll find out yourself. Am I right to assume that you are still doing that?  
  
Harry nodded. He couldn't dare hope where this conversation was going.  
  
'We feel it would be safer to let you in on more of what is going on. At least, we will know that you are getting the correct information. That's why we would like you, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, to sit in on Order meetings.  
  
Harry's mouth dropped. 'Seriously? But what about Mrs Weasley?'  
  
'Ah, yes, Molly. She is less than happy about this, but even she sees the necessity. She will, however, make you promise certain things. You may not act personally on anything you hear. You have to let the Order take action, if needed. Also, once school starts again, you will not be able to be part of the meetings. However, if anything of importance happens, you can trust to know of it as soon as the other members do. How does that sound?'  
  
Harry's face broke into a smile. 'Good, that sounds good.' He was glad they wouldn't be treating them as kids anymore. Even Mrs Weasley seemed to be coming round.  
  
'Now then, I think it is time for both of us to go to bed. If you could tell your friends of this decision, you will be welcome at the next meeting on the day after tomorrow.'  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------  
  
A/N: Finally, the last introductory chapter. Woohoo! Let's get the party started!  
  
I hope that you can understand now why I had to get rid of some storylines. Because this jumble of events is the edited version. Pfew! I've just got too many ideas in my head.  
  
You will all be pleased to know that the writing for chapter 8 is already progressing quite nicely. Hopefully I will have finished it after this weekend. Now, I'd like to thank each and every one of my lovely reviewers. Also, if you leave your email with your review, and you say a bit more than 'Good/bad job, please update/stop writing' you can expect a personal reply. I'm more than happy to give motivations/explanations, and who knows, maybe even some spoilers! 


	8. Mysterious Ways and Causes for Celebrati...

Disclaimer

I'm just a visitor of the magical world of Harry Potter. JK Rowling is its owner.

Mysterious Ways and Cause for Celebration

Ron, Hermione and Ginny were ecstatic when they heard the news the following morning. They had all been sitting down to breakfast when Harry told them. Ginny and Ron were wondering out loud how their mother would behave on the first meeting, and Hermione's eyes were shining with anticipation. No doubt she was wondering whether she could help the Order with some book research.

'So, are you going to tell them about the prophecy?' Hermione said.

That thought hadn't even occurred to Harry yet, though probably it should have. He didn't know what Dumbledore had told the Order members about it.

'I guess I'll play it by ear. I don't have to tell them right now, do I?'

'Of course not,' said Ginny reassuringly. 'You can tell them whenever you think you're ready.'

'Yeah! Besides, it'll be fun, knowing something they don't for a change!' exclaimed Ron. Hermione threw him a look that left no doubt about what she thought of that comment. But secretly, Harry felt the same way. It wasn't right, of course, but it was a guilty pleasure.

The day passed fairly quickly, in anticipation of the first meeting. Their feeling of joy was shortly interrupted when Mrs Weasley found out that Dumbledore had asked them to join the meeting.

'Well, as long as you know I still don't agree with it. However, you father,' this was directed at Ron and Ginny, 'has "put his foot down", as he so nicely put it. Apparently, I'm smothering you. Am I smothering you? Because I don't think so.' Mrs Weasley's tone of voice had grown higher and higher as she spoke.

'You don't smother us, Mum,' said Ginny. 'But you've got to understand that we all care about Harry, and that we want to help him. And no one has to like it, but Harry is important in this. Even if you don't want to take that into account, then remember that we, especially Harry, Ron and Hermione, have been through more than many Order members. We deserve to know what's going on, Mum. But if it's causing problems between you and Dad,' she added in a small voice, 'we don't have to do this.'

'Oh, love,' Mrs Weasley exclaimed. 'No, no, of course not! I shouldn't have said those things about your father. Your dad and I are fine. We just have our disagreements, like all married couples do. I shouldn't have taken my temper out on you kids. I know you've gone through so many things already, and I wish you hadn't. All I want is to protect you, and keep you safe.' Mrs Weasley's voice now sounded dangerously tearful.

'You can't protect us from everything all the time, Mum,' said Ron. 'Because then nothing would ever happen to us.'

'Oh, I know, Ron, darling,' said Mrs Weasley, while pulling her two younger children in a hug. "I just love you so much.'

Harry and Hermione felt slightly like third wheels, and they started to back out of the room, but Mrs Weasley caught sight of them. 'Oh no, you don't!' she cried, pulling Ginny and Ron along as she walked over towards Harry and Hermione. 'You silly buggers! You mean just as much to me as my own flesh and blood. And she pulled all four friends in a giant hug.

Harry couldn't believe his ears, and stared up at Mrs Weasley with a startled expression. He had never heard Mrs Weasley say anything like 'buggers'. Mrs Weasley smiled at him. 'What?' she said. 'Where do you think my children picked up some of their more colourful vocabulary?'

They all laughed. It was obvious Mrs Weasley didn't like them being included in the Order, but she wouldn't be standing in their way either.

Friday passed in a blur as the time of the meeting drew ever closer. Harry was pleased to notice that time didn't only seem to speed up as you dreaded something, but also as you looked forward to it. Before he knew it, it was 5 o'clock, and they were making their way down to the kitchen.

The cavernous space was filled with people. Professor Dumbledore, Remus, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Fleur, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, Professor McGonagall and Snape were all there. The group took their seats as Professor Dumbledore sat down at the head of the table.

'I would like to open this meeting by welcoming our newest honorary members. If it hadn't been for them, everyone would still be in denial about Voldemort's return, and that fool of a Fudge would still be calling the shots.'

The members of the Order (with the exception of Snape) all applauded politely, but stopped suddenly as Fred and George stood up as if to make a speech. They made as small bow before starting to speak.

'Thank you. Thank you ever so kindly,' said Fred.

'We have tried our best turning our younger siblings into brave, righteous members of society. Our expression of undying love and devotion towards them made them who they are today,' said George.

'But let us not forget darling Harry and dear Hermione. Before they met they were like sheep without a shepherd,' said Fred.

'Ships set adrift in the dark night. But we found them, and took them under our wing,' said George.

'Like a mother hen,' Fred said with an almost imperceptible nod to his mother. 'But let us not discard their personal merit. For surely we taught them everything they know, but they must have had some talents of their own, though we never saw great evidence of it.'

'So let us conclude by thanking you once more,' said George. 'The pleasure was all ours.'

They bowed again, and sat down, looking completely serious. Nobody knew exactly what to do until they heard a very awkward giggle. Dumbledore was teary-eyed, and obviously trying to suppress his amusement. Then everybody, save Professor McGonagall and Snape, burst out laughing. Even Mrs Weasley wasn't trying to hide her amusement. Harry could have sworn he heard her mutter 'those silly boys'. As the laughter died down, Dumbledore spoke again.

'Thank you, Fred and George, for that comical note. Now, let us continue. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny will promise to adhere to certain rules here and now.

The next half hour was spent with each of the four repeating the rules, and promising not to break them. The rules included letting the Order decide as a collective what was a correct cause of action in a case, letting the Order handle anything that would be dangerous, trusting all members of the Order, and trusting the Order to make the right decisions. However, when Harry got to the rule about letting the other members dealing with anything dangerous, he spoke up.

'I'm sorry, but I can't promise that.'

Dumbledore merely raised his eyebrows slightly, and Ginny whispered 'you don't have to, Harry.'

Harry smiled at her. 'Yes, I do.'

Snape sneered. 'Of course, our boy hero can't even make that little promise. He always wants to rescue everyone himself!'

Anger rose up in Harry, and he felt his cheeks flush. He opened his mouth to say something really foul, but was cut off by Dumbledore.

'I think Harry is speaking about the prophecy, Severus, so you might want to hear him out. Am I right, Harry?'

Harry nodded. 'I don't know what you already said about it though.

'Just that there is a prophecy that was made some 17 years ago, concerning you and Tom.'

'Right.' Harry took a deep breath. ' Well, this is basically what the prophecy said.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…'

Harry paused to take in the shocked expressions of those who had not heard about it before. Even Snape looked slightly disturbed.

'I know this sounds as though either I have to kill Voldemort, or he has to kill me. However, I've talked it over a lot with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, and they have given me some hope. They pointed out that a prophecy is not something that has been set in stone. Some might come true, and others not. In some cases, people might find a way around it. And that's what I intend to do. Just because some parts of the prophecy turned out to be true doesn't mean that it all will.' He avoided looking at Mrs Weasley, who was sniffling openly.

'Any questions about the content of the prophecy can be directed at Professor Dumbledore at the end of the meeting. If that's alright with you, of course, Professor.'

Dumbledore nodded. He had been smiling slightly at Hermione, who had very pink cheeks. 'Of course, Harry. Whatever you want.' He sighed, and continued. 'I know what Harry just told you comes as a shock, but I would like to ask you to focus on another important matter. It looks like there might be an attack on the Hogwarts Express. An attack on it might be the last way for Tom to get to Harry before term starts. He still knows nothing about the prophecy, of course, now that the recording has been destroyed.'

Harry hadn't even thought about this yet, but he was infuriated again when Snape spoke.

"I say we should get the Potter boy to school some other way. Without him, the other students should be fine.' Snape seemed to have recovered from hearing the prophecy, and was back to his vindictive self.

'That's not what you told me last night, Severus,' Dumbledore said, his voice quiet but stern. 'If you could please repeat to the Order what you reported to me last night?'

Snape looked thoroughly displeased, but started speaking nevertheless. 'There is talk among the Death Eaters of a hit on a high profile target. Something that would tear apart the heart of the community. All evidence seems to point towards Platform 9 ¾ as the target. It would probably be attacked minutes before the train takes off, ensuring that all the students are trapped in the train and have nowhere to escape to but the platform.'

There was a moment of silence, until Hermione hesitantly spoke. 'But surely there would also be the children of Death Eaters on the train. We know for sure that the parents of Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle are Death Eaters. Surely their fathers wouldn't want to see them hurt.'

'The infamous Miss Granger, always…' but Snape broke off at a look from Professor McGonagall, much to Harry's amusement.

Then she spoke. 'They would most likely have their kids be 'late', and get them to school some other way. Or they would instruct them about the attack beforehand.'

This sounded reasonable to Harry. As reasonable as anything about an attack on innocent people could possibly sound, anyway. 'So even if I wouldn't be on the train, it would still be attacked?' said Harry.

'By all accounts, yes,' answered Professor Dumbledore. 'That's why I would like to ask all of you to think hard about this matter. That means you too.' He looked over to the four new members. 'This Sunday we will discuss our options.'

The remainder of the meeting was actually quite dull, Harry thought afterwards. The only other interesting subjects had been the Muggle disappearances and the new Minister for Magic.

The Order seemed to think the disappearances were done on Voldemort's orders, to keep his Death Eaters happy. He had to give them something to do, while lying low from the Ministry and saving energy for the next big attack. His plan seemed to work, as most people didn't think the disappearances were magic-related.

There were problems with finding an interim Minister. No one seemed to be too willing to take on such a major responsibility, in such a dangerous time. Harry learned that the only person who had volunteered up to this date was Mr Weasley. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had exclaimed as one that he would be perfect for the job, while Mr Weasley smiled awkwardly, his cheeks glowing bright red. 'Just because I'm the only volunteer so far doesn't mean I will get the job. I would have to ensure myself of the trust of most of the wizarding community before I could even consider it.'

The following days were spent with working on improving the house, while trying to think of ways to prevent an attack on the Hogwarts Express.

In the Order meeting on Sunday Hermione was the last to lay out the plan she had come up with. All other plans that had been offered up had been discussed and, for now at least, discarded. She started off hesitantly. 'Well, it is sort of a long shot, and it might not work for all students…' She paused, looking both insecure and smug, something Harry had never before thought possible.

Hermione continued. 'I thought we might put a Temporus Charm on the Hogwarts letters.' She paused again, while Harry, Ron and Ginny were all looking equally nonplussed. Some of the other Order members however, were looking at Hermione most intently. 'I mean, the charm is not actually meant for something like this,' Hermione went on, 'but it might work. We could still let the time of departure on the letter say noon, but by charming it we could cause an irrepressible urge to board 15 minutes early for all who read the letter. Then the train could leave 15 minutes earlier than Voldemort expects.' She looked around expectantly, probably knowing full well it was the best idea of the night.

Professor Dumbledore nodded slowly. 'It might work,' he said. 'Obviously the Temporus Charm was developed to change people's perception of time, but with a few alterations it could very well work. Of course, we couldn't charm the letters of the Death Eater's children. It's not fair to them, but we can't risk the plan being discovered by any of their parents. Yes. Yes.' He nodded again. 'Yes, I think this will do very well. Thank you, Miss Granger.'

Hermione was trying very hard not to look too pleased with herself, but failed miserably. For once, Harry didn't mind though. It was a rather smart idea.

Snape scowled like never before (his idea had been discarded earlier), but didn't speak. That was probably the greatest compliment he could ever have given Hermione.

The weeks leading up to the start of term were filled with activity. Next to redecorating the house, Harry's training sessions and Occlumency lessons continued. Most of his free evenings Harry spent with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Sometimes Hermione would read a book, while Ginny played with Crookshanks and watched a game of chess between Ron and Harry. Other, more disturbing, evenings, Hermione and Ginny would sit together, whispering and sometimes giggling. Harry wondered what it was they were discussing. Ron seemed to be interested in the topic of their whispered conversations too.

'Oh, how I would love to have some Extendable Ears right now! D'you reckon they're talking about us?' Ron whispered. He looked over at Harry expectantly, but Harry couldn't help but be shocked. Why would they be talking about them? If they has something to say surely they would say it directly to him, instead of behind his back? However, Hermione and Ginny were girls, and neither Ron nor he were very good at understanding the motives or thoughts of girls. It did open up a whole other realm of possibilities though… He had noticed that at times Ron and Hermione took off together for a while. He didn't know what they were doing, but Ron did seem a bit healthier again. He looked less tired and haunted. He would probably be joining Harry's training sessions soon. He hadn't been allowed to before he had some better control over the memories. Harry made a mental note to ask Ginny if these expeditions of Ron and Hermione's were what she and Hermione were whispering about.

Harry himself was still plenty tired, and the nightmares hadn't subsided much either, as he found out the morning the Hogwarts letters arrived.

Harry had woken up to furious screams of Ron. It sounded like fragments of sentences Ron didn't have the heart to finish, like 'You dirty…' , 'I never…' and 'My little sister'.

Harry couldn't understand what Ron was on about. He felt comfortable and safe in his bed, holding onto something warm. He inhaled the scent of something soft that covered his face, then leapt out of bed with a yelp. Ginny sat up, looking more sleepy and amused than shocked, while Ron advanced on Harry with his wand.

'My own sister!' he yelled. 'Right under my nose.' Harry wasn't sure he had ever seen Ron this furious before.

He racked his brain, trying to remember what caused Ginny to be in his bed. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember anything. He had gone to bed the previous night, extremely tired from a long lesson with Professor Dumbledore. He had been asleep as soon as he sat down on his bed, and had the best night's sleep he could remember having for a long time. He had only dreamt about Sirius falling through the veil once.

'Ron… I…' He started, looking desperately at Ginny, who was just sitting there, smiling. He didn't know why this was so amusing to her. With a sigh she got up and firmly walked over to Ron. Somehow, she reminded Harry very much of her mother at that point.

'Ron, put that wand down right now, and let me explain. I highly doubt you will get answers from Harry.

Ron still looked extremely angry, but he lowered his wand and faced Ginny. 'What? He? You? Ewww!' was all he seemed capable of saying.

' Last night, I got up for a drink of water. When I passed your door, however, I could hear Harry talking and moaning. I decided to take a look inside, and I saw Harry was having a nightmare. I figured I'd sit with him for a bit until the nightmare had passed, but I must have fallen asleep myself.'

'Nonsense,' Ron managed to blurt out. 'Harry always puts a Silencing Charm on his bed, and you know it.'

Harry shook his head. It finally started to make a bit of sense. 'No, mate. I was completely knackered last night. I fell asleep immediately and must have forgotten to perform the charm. I did have a nightmare though, I remember that.' He felt his face flush. He didn't like it when anyone noticed his troubled sleeping.

Ron collapsed on his bed with a sigh, still looking angry, though a lot less than before. 'So, you didn't…? I mean… Nothing…?'

Ginny shook her head. 'No, Ron. You have to trust me. Harry is like a brother to me.' She gave a deep sigh and left the room.

For some inexplicable reason Harry felt extremely hurt when Ginny said he was like a brother to her. He should have been glad that he meant so much to her, but instead he just felt sad.

'Sorry, Harry.' Ron said. 'It's just that… well. She's my little sister, you know.'

Harry didn't know, but he did remember how Ron had reacted when he found out Ginny had a boyfriend. 'It's all right, Ron. Let's get dressed.' For some reason, he didn't want to continue this conversation.

In the afternoon the Hogwarts letters arrived. It was only five days until the start of term. Harry knew as soon as he read his letter that it had been charmed as well. He could clearly see that the time of departure of the Express was at noon, but he felt he just had to be there at 11:45. He walked down to the kitchen, where he found Mrs Weasley. She hadn't spoken much to him since he had told everyone about the Prophecy, but every time she looked at him her eyes got all misty.

'Harry, dear,' she said, with a slight tremble in her voice, 'I see your letters have arrived. Give it to me and I will see to it that you get everything you need from Diagon Alley.'

'Mrs Weasley,' he said, avoiding her stare, 'why are our letters charmed as well? We already know we have to be there early.'

'Professor Dumbledore thought it would be best to see if you all react the same way to the charm. It would be a disaster if some of the students somehow are immune to it, and arrive at the wrong time. We couldn't tell you, because then the effects might not be the same.'

That made sense, though Harry still felt annoyed at the fact that there were still things that he didn't know about, even now that he was in the Order.

He soon found out that Ginny had been made prefect, and Mrs Weasley's happiness almost surpassed that which she had displayed the previous year, when Ron had gotten his badge.

'Oh, my darling little baby!' she exclaimed. 'My little baby, all grown up and a prefect! Oh, it's too much! I'll send an owl to your father right now! He will be so pleased, so very pleased. Tell me, what do you want? Ron got a broom last year, remember?' Mrs Weasley was bustling all through the kitchen, pulling everyone present in big hugs while she was leafing through cookbooks.

Ginny flushed. 'Well, if it's at all possible I would really like a broom as well. I want to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team again. Not as a Seeker, of course,' she looked over hesitantly as Harry. 'But as a Chaser. They need 2 new Chasers, and I reckon I might be quite good.'

'Of course, of course,' Mrs Weasley said distractedly. 'Lovely, lovely. Well then, I'll be off to Diagon Alley to get all of you your school supplies, and a new broom for Ginny then.'

That evening there was a feast to celebrate Ginny becoming a prefect. Order members dropped in to extend their congratulations, and enjoy some of Mrs Weasley's wonderful cooking. Almost towards the end of the party, Mr Weasley came home from work. He gave Ginny a big hug before speaking.

'Well, it looks like we received two bits of good news in one day. I have just received word that I will have the full support of the Wizengamot, the International Confederation of Wizards and the heads of most of the Ministry departments if I decide to take the office of interim Minister.' He looked around the kitchen, beaming.

When all the shrieks, hugs, applause and congratulations were done with, Harry managed to isolate Ginny from the others. He had been avoiding her all day, but he still wanted to know what Ron and Hermione got up to when they were by themselves.

'Ginny, I wonder if I could ask you something. Something… personal…' he began.

'Sure Harry,' she said, her eyes sparkling, 'you can ask me anything.'

'Well, you know, Ron and Hermione, they,' was it just his imagination, or did she look somewhat disappointed, 'well, they sometimes take off together, and I was wondering if you know what they are getting up to.'

Ginny huffed. 'Yes, I do know. But why don't you just ask them?'

Harry didn't like the coldness that had crept in her tone, and he flushed.

'Oh, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry, Harry. Hermione is helping Ron sort through the memories the brains inserted in him. You know, giving them a place so that he can deal with them better.'

'Oh,' Harry was happy that Hermione was helping Ron, but he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. 'So that's not what you whisper and giggle about during the evenings.'

Ginny smiled. 'No, Harry, it's not. But I won't tell you what we do talk about either,' she continued at seeing Harry's hopeful look. 'It's girl talk, and if I told you about it then we would lose all our mystery, wouldn't we? And what are women without their mystery?'

Harry couldn't answer that question, but he couldn't help feeling that Ginny hadn't told him everything about Ron and Hermione either.

The days before the start of term were so packed with last minute activities that he didn't give the matter any more thought.

Mr Weasley had been accepted as interim Minister for Magic, until there was a possibility for elections. He had kicked off by informing the Prime Minister of England about the threat of Voldemort. The Prime Minister was the only Muggle politician who knew about the wizarding world. Together, the Prime Minister and Mr Weasley had decided to present the threat as an ongoing terrorism alert. This way the greater presence of police at train stations and public gatherings could be explained to the public. Hermione had been the one who informed Mr Weasley about the Muggle fear of terrorism. They had spent a whole evening going over the basics and dynamics of it.

Mr Weasley had been unable to find a way around Muggle police officers shooting Death Eaters if they would attack a public place. The Prime Minister had given the order to shoot any 'terrorists' wearing robes and masks, or any other people shooting green light out of sticks, on the spot, and ask questions later.

His second big activity was to subject all Ministry workers to Veritaserum. The Daily Prophet spoke shame of the decision, they wrote it would interfere with the right to privacy. Mr Weasley responded with a public statement in which he said that he understood the concerns. The questions that would be asked while the subject was under the influence of Veritaserum would be focused solely on any knowledge of Death Eater activities. He proceeded by taking the potion himself, under the watchful eye of the reporters. Then he was questioned about any knowledge about or involvement with Death Eaters by Professor Dumbledore. Of course it became clear soon enough that Mr Weasley had nothing to do with Voldemort, and the reporters backed down a bit.

The operation wouldn't start until the first week of September, but several Ministry workers had already stopped showing up for work. Their names were added to those of the known followers of Voldemort.

Before Harry knew it, the day of departure had dawned, and he was making his way down the stairs with his trunk.

Author's Note:

There you have it then. A whole new chapter! I'd started on it a year ago, but finished recently as I needed a break from my thesis. If there are any inconsistencies please point them out. I wrote this without chapters 1-6 at hand.

Reviews and all readers are much appreciated.

I will have to explain again that I set out the storyline over a year ago. So anything JKR might have said about the content of HBP was not included. Back then, number 6 didn't even have a title yet! I'm hoping to finish this whole story before July 16. I'll have vacation after the 23rd, so if my muse doesn't leave me I should be able to finish.

Other than that, thanks so much for reading!

Next Chapter: Attack on the Express

'Were those bodies, outside on the Muggle side?' Neville whispered, though Harry still didn't know why.

'Yeah. Yeah, I think so,' Harry said. 'I don't know if they were Death Eaters or Muggles, though. Those loud bangs we heard, those are like Muggle Killing Curses. They might have fired them at the Death Eaters. I don't expect we will find anything out until the feast tonight. Let's go and find a compartment.'


	9. Attack on the Express

Disclaimer:

I'm just a visitor to the world of Harry Potter. JK Rowling was its inventor. I promise to return the world as unscathed as possible.

Chapter 9: Attack on the Express

Downstairs was a cacophony of sound. It seemed as though Ron had tried to pack too much in his trunk, and it had burst open. Meanwhile Hermione was running around crying that she must have forgotten something very important, but she didn't know what, and Ginny was inexplicably hopping on one leg, muttering swears under breath.

'Er- Good morning,' Harry said to no one in particular.

'Oh, good morning, Harry, dear,' Mrs Weasley said while she was trying to repack Ron's trunk. 'Really, Ron, if you have trouble packing just call me and I'll help you out.'

Ron scowled. 'I'm 16, I don't need my mother to help me pack!'

'Well, I would have to disagree, dear. Until you stop packing in a way that causes a full trunk to land on your sister's foot, I will just have to do it for you.'

Ginny threw Ron a mean smile while she continued swearing.

'Ginny, whipe that smile of your face right now,' said Mrs Weasley. 'You know I've got eyes in my back, don't you?'

Freezing in the middle of a hop and a swear, Ginny's smile disappeared like snow in the sun. 'I've never figured out how she does that?' she whispered to Harry.

Harry couldn't understand either. Mrs Weasley had had her back turned to Ginny as she had laughed at Ron.

Mrs Weasley finished repacking the trunk and looked up. 'Hermione, love, please! If you forgot anything we will send it to you, and you will have it first thing tomorrow morning. And Harry, dear, I hope you're all packed, because the cars will be here any minute now.'

They all made their way through the hallway and put their trunks outside. Harry looked back through the hallway before he shut the door behind him. For a short moment he saw Sirius when they had said their goodbyes after Christmas last year. It was such a short while ago, but no matter what kind of time would pass, Sirius would never again be there to pull him in an awkward hug. He wondered if it would ever get any easier.

The others didn't seem to have noticed Harry's musings, as they were busy packing their things in the Ministry cars that had just arrived. He was glad to feel the wind on his face again. He hadn't been outside for a month, and the fresh air did feel good.

'Mrs Weasley,' he said. 'Why is there no guard here? I mean, not that I want one, but I haven't been outside since the end of term without at least several Order members standing watch.'

'Oh, but there is, dear. Look, there is Tonks.' she pointed at a high blonde woman in an extremely short skirt and fishnet stockings. Tonks waved, but Harry couldn't help feeling embarrassed. He'd seen Tonks in all kinds of outfits, including some with a bit less material to them, during his training sessions with her. But this was just… Wrong was a word that came to mind. Hot was a word a little voice whispered in the back of his head.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else.

Mrs Weasley hadn't noticed a thing, and had continued to point out all the Order members that were on watch. 'And in that car are Moody and Kingsley,' she concluded.

'Right. Er- well. I'll get in then, shall I?' Harry muttered, and he jumped into the nearest car, where he found Ginny looking at him very amused.

'What's the matter, Harry? Never seen a girl in a short skirt before?' She grinned.

Harry felt like his head would explode, and he couldn't utter a single syllable.

'Oh, I'm sorry.' Ginny giggled. 'I'm so used at teasing all my OTHER brothers with this stuff I forget you're not used to it.'

Even through his complete embarrassment he heard the extreme emphasis she placed on the brother-part again. And again, it stung him. He didn't have time to consider it, as Moody had started talking to him. He did however notice that Ginny stared at him very intently, almost like she was trying to see how he reacted.

'Well, Harry, Ginny,' Moody started, 'you know we are expecting an attack on Platform 9 ¾. There will be extra Muggle police present at the station, and 6 Aurors on the platform, but we need you to be vigilant as well. You are to stay well inside the train, and keep out of sight. Keep your wand at hand at all times, in case you are attacked face to face.'

Harry nodded, knowing full well he would not be hiding inside the train. If there would be an attack, he would help out, no matter what he may or may not have promised the Order. Ginny seemed to be feeling the same way, as she was silent as well.

They arrived at King's Cross at 11:30, and made their way quickly through the magical barrier and onto the platform. Charlie and Bill, who had been riding in the other car with Mrs Weasley, Ron and Hermione, seemed to have given the latter two the same instructions as Harry and Ginny had received. One look on both of them, however, told Harry that none of them would be cowering on a bench in case of an attack.

They put their luggage on the train, before saying their goodbyes to their escorts. 'Bye now. Be good,' Mrs Weasley sniffed, as she tried to envelop all four of them in one big hug, while trying to keep an eye on all the other children on the platform as well. 'Oooh, this plan better work,' she whispered.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny boarded the train, but didn't bother to look for a compartment yet. They were soon joined by Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnigan and Katie Bell. Harry glanced nervously at his pocket watch. It was almost 11:45, and all students thankfully seemed to have boarded the train.

'Why are we all standing here?' Luna sounded slightly surprised, as though she'd just noticed she was on a train, looking out over a platform.

'No reason,' Harry tried to say in a dismissive manner. 'Just want to wave at some people. Why don't you go find a compartment, we'll follow later.'

'No way, Harry,' Neville whispered, although Harry couldn't understand why, 'if the four of you were any more high strung, you'd snap. And you have your wands out as well. Something is about to happen, isn't it? I knew it! It's been too quiet.'

'No, Neville, nothing will happen. Listen, the train is ready to depart.' But as soon as these words had come out of Ron's mouth they heard a major explosion, and something Harry recognised straight away as Muggle gunfire.

'Duck!' he yelled, and all 8 of them crouched down.

It soon became obvious something had blasted away the magical barrier, as they could see the other platforms through a big hole in the wall, as well as some shapes that looked very much like bodies. The train had started to move, but it had yet to pick up any speed, and Death Eaters, robed and masked, were pouring though the hole in the barrier. Harry could swear he could see their amazed expressions at the early departure of the train even through their masks. Red jets of light seemed to be coming out of nowhere, and Harry figured there must be Aurors or Order members in Invisibility Cloaks on the platform. They seemed to be outnumbered, however, as Death Eaters kept pouring in, and the invisible protectors were not multiplying. It wasn't until he saw a jet of green light streaking towards the train that Harry yelled 'stupefy!', pointing his wand at the Death Eater who had uttered the lethal curse.

As his Stunner made its way through the air however, he saw it was travelling with 7 others. He looked around him, and was glad to see that everyone had had the same idea. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Katie, Seamus, Neville and Luna had all fired Stunners that were now hitting several Death Eaters. They sighed a collective sigh of relief as the green jet of light ricocheted off the steel of the train, and landed harmlessly on the platform.

Then the platform swerved out of sight as the train rounded a corner.

They all looked up at loud mutterings coming from their left. Heads were poking out of the compartments everywhere, looking at the eight who had fired Stunners in amazement.

Hermione was the first to gain control of herself. She got up and started ushering the other students back in their compartments, ensuring them that everyone on the train was safe, and that they would probably get an explanation at the feast tonight.

Some smaller children, all first years, were crying openly, and Ginny, Katie and Luna rushed over to comfort them.

Seamus and Neville looked at Harry and Ron with wonder.

'How did you know?' Seamus said. 'You were waiting for something to happen, like Neville said, weren't you? And how come the train left early?'

Harry and Ron shook their heads. 'I can't really say,' said Harry, avoiding Neville's eye. He felt ashamed that he couldn't say anything, because Neville had fought side by side with him in the Department of Mysteries. But he didn't know what Dumbledore would tell the other students, and there were too many inquisitive stares on the train.

'Were those bodies, outside on the Muggle side?' Neville whispered, though Harry still didn't know why.

'Yeah. Yeah, I think so,' Harry said. 'I don't know if they were Death Eaters or Muggles, though. Those loud bangs we heard, those are like Muggle Killing Curses. They might have fired them at the Death Eaters. I don't expect we will find anything out until the feast tonight. Let's go and find a compartment.'

It seemed that the girls had managed to get all the other students back into their compartments, though sobs could still be heard though the doors.

'Thank you for taking your duty as a prefect so seriously and helping out, Ron,' Hermione said scathingly.

'I – I – I'm sorry,' Ron muttered, 'it looked as though you guys had everything under control. He looked very shaken, maybe even more so than the others.

'Oh, never mind,' Hermione said. She was looking at Ron with mild concern. 'Let's find a compartment, shall we?'

But as Harry got up, he fell to the floor again immediately, a terrible pain searing through his scar and a high pitch scream resonating in his ears.

He felt someone shaking him.

'Harry! Harry, tell us! What is it?' Ginny looked at him, fear in her eyes.

'Oh, it's nothing,' he managed to say. 'I guess Voldemort has found out his attack wasn't as successful as he had expected. Quite some Death Eaters were stunned, partly because of all of you,' he looked around at his friends with pride, 'and they probably have been taking in by the Aurors. It must be a bad blow to Voldemorts rank of supporters.'

Hermione looked annoyed at the flinches and squeals by Katie, Neville and Seamus that occurred when Harry had said Voldemort's name.

'D'you reckon they got the Lestranges,' Neville said hopefully.

Harry didn't want to hurt Neville, but he didn't want him to have too much hope either. 'Somehow I don't think so, Neville. Bellatrix might be insane, she's also very lucky. She already escaped from a very sticky spot in the Department of Mysteries once, remember.'

Neville nodded sadly, but Katie and Seamus looked at Harry with unabashed curiosity. They hadn't been present that fateful night, and anything they might have heard about it would have been rumours.

'Come on,' Harry said, deciding to ignore them, 'let's find a compartment.'

Katie, Luna and Seamus found places to sit with some of their other friends, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny still were lucky enough to find an empty compartment. Plenty of them actually. It looked as though the other students felt safer sitting with as many people as possible.

When they sat down, Harry looked out the window to a most surprising sight. An owl was trying to keep up with the speed of the train, while pecking at the window. Harry opened it up and grabbed the owl. It was carrying a letter addressed to him, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

'Read it out loud,' Hermione said as Harry broke the seal.

Harry glanced at Neville, who was looking very much as though he would pick a fight with Harry if he didn't do it. Harry decided it couldn't hurt.

It was only a short message.

Death toll: 3 Muggles, 1 Death Eater.

Arrests: 13 Death Eaters.

Wounded: 43 Muggles, 12 parents, 2 Members (Molly is fine), 1 Auror.

Students to be transported by Portkey: 18, including Mr. Malfoy, Mr Crabbe, Miss Crabbe and Mr Goyle.

We will talk about those Stunners later.

Professor Dumbledore

Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione let out a breath none of them knew they had been holding. Mrs Weasley had left the platform only shortly before the attack began, and they were all relieved she was alright. They did wonder how badly the other Order members and parents had been hurt, however. Harry hoped it would all turn out less bad than it seemed, although nothing could be good with so many injured, and 3 Muggles dead.

He couldn't help wondering how bad things would have been if they hadn't know about the attack, and smiled gratefully at Hermione.

Neville was just looking extremely pensive. 'Members? What's he talking about, Harry?'

'I'm really sorry, Neville, but I can't say.' He continued quickly at Neville's glare. 'I know how bad it feels to not know something everyone else seems to know. However, we'll have to wait to see what Dumbledore tells everyone. Then I will ask him if we can give you some more information.'

'We?' Neville looked extremely put out. 'So you all knew about this beforehand? And you all know what is meant with these "members". Even Ginny! That's not fair, she's younger!'

'Age has nothing to do with this, Neville,' Ginny said soothingly. 'We've all been in the same place over the summer, and so we all know the same things. Don't be too upset with us? Please?' She gave him a smile that would melt an icicle, and Neville conceded.

'Did anyone else notice the 'Miss Crabbe' in the note. I can't believe there's a female version of that oaf out there somewhere!' Ron said.

'Yeah… I wonder where she'll be sorted,' Hermione said.

'What do you mean with that?' Ron snorted. 'She'll be sorted in Slytherin like her brother.'

'Not necessarily, Ron. Just because all of you were sorted in the same house doesn't mean all siblings do. Just remember Parvati and Padma Patil.'

'Right.' Ron looked as though he wouldn't believe anyone with a Slytherin as a sibling would be sorted in any other house, but didn't feel like arguing.

'Well, look on the bright side,' Ginny chimed in. 'At least we'll have a Malfoy-free trip this time.'

Harry smiled at the thought.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. They filled themselves up on Chocolate Frogs and Pumpkin Pasties, and played some Exploding Snap.

Neville had tried to ask Harry how he was doing, but Harry hadn't really felt like talking. Neville seemed to already have lost some of the confidence Harry had noticed in him as he had boarded the train. He was slouching, like he tried to shrink into the bench.

'I'm sorry, Neville,' Harry said finally. 'I know it must feel bad that we were together for most of the summer, and that we weren't able to talk much after the events and the Ministry of Magic. I promise we will, just not now, okay?'

Neville did seem to inflate a bit again after that.

As it got darker they changed into their robes, and waited for their arrival at Hogsmeade Station.

It was completely dark when they arrived, but the station was lit with lanterns. As Harry got of the train he was glad to hear the familiar 'Firs' years over 'ere' again. He sure had missed that last year.

He felt oddly touched when he saw Ginny lift a still trembling first year girl into her arms, and carry her over to Hagrid. The trembling didn't seem to get any better on the sight of the huge man with the very tangled beard, however.

'It's alright,' Harry whispered. 'He's big, but he's really just a big old puppy dog. Aren't you, Hagrid?'

Harry grinned at the big man.

'Watch who yeh're callin' a puppy dog, 'Arry! Or did ye forget about Fluffy?'

Harry didn't get to reply to that however, as the girl squealed 'You're The-Boy-Who-Lived!' and jumped from Ginny's arms into his. 'My mum says you're the bravest boy ever and when I grow up I am going to marry you!' The girl seemed quite unabashed, and Harry grinned at Ginny, remembering her being quite as excited on seeing him as this little girl.

Ginny threw him a little mock scowl, and turned her attention to the little girl again. 'And who is your mum, if I may ask?' she said.

'Well, Janice Jordan, of course,' throwing Ginny a look that didn't leave any guessing about what she thought about people who didn't know her mum.

'Janice Jordan…' Harry muttered. 'You wouldn't happen to be related to Lee Jordan, would you?'

The girl nodded furtively. 'Uhuh! He's my big brother. He left school just last year. I'm happy he's gone, because he always teases me when he is home!'

Harry got the distinct impression she would have gone on for much longer about her brother's teasing, but it was almost time for the first years to be rowed across the lake to the castle, and Hagrid lifted her in the boat.

When Harry and Ginny turned their attention to the waiting row of carriages, they discovered that there was only one left. Hermione, Neville and Ron were standing by it, and Ron seemed to be patting the Thestral that would pull the carriage.

'Harry,' Ron said. 'Harry, I see them too now. I don't know why though, I haven't seen anyone die. Hermione reckons it might have something to do with the memories. There are plenty of people dying in those.'

Hermione started pushing Ron towards steps of the carriage. 'Well, maybe we can ask Professor Dumbledore later, but we really have to leave now. You boys don't want to miss the Sorting Hat's song again, do you?'

Author's Note:

Well, ain't that a treat again. Then I'm not there for a year, and just as easy you get 2 new chapters! Granted, this isn't the longest one, but still. Again, I hope you liked it. My first battle scene, I'm very nervous about how it reads to others. Any constructive criticism is welcome, so please feel free to review. I'll still to reply to a signed review with an email, though it might not be instantly.

And you're right, I'm not backing out of writing a Sorting Hat song, though I am dreading it. It's important to the plot though. Spooooooky!

It might be a few weeks before a new chapter goes up, because I have an academic deadline.

Next Chapter: The Sorting Hat's Curse.


	10. The Sorting Hat\'s Curse

Disclaimer: I'm still just a visitor in the magical world of Harry Potter, borrowing the inspirations of JK Rowling!

Chapter 10

The Sorting Hat's Curse

Harry and the others were among the last to arrive in the Great Hall. They made their way over to the Gryffindor table, and sat down next to Nearly-Headless Nick.

'Hiya Nick!' Harry said.

'Harry Potter, good to have you back again this year. I see your spirits are higher than when you left us last term,' Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington added in an undertone.

'I am, thanks.' Harry was slightly embarrassed. Last term he had tried to force Nick to bring back Sirius. When he saw Ginny looking curiously at him, he started inspecting his fingernails.

The noise in the Great Hall was bigger than usual. Undoubtedly, there was still much talk of the attack. Harry wondered whose parents had been injured, and if the respective students has already been informed. He got his answer almost immediately, as he watched a group of 11 very subdued students coming out of the room to the side of the Hall. It was the same room Harry had been required to enter when his name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire two years ago. Most of the students he didn't know by name, they mostly belonged to other Houses. However, among the group were also Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff girl who had been part of the DA last year, and Dean Thomas.

Then, Hagrid sat down at the teacher's table, and it was obvious the Sorting was about to commence. Professor McGonagall entered the Hall, carrying a stool on which was perched an ancient looking wizard's hat. The first years followed her in single file. McGonagall stopped in her tracks, however, when Dumbledore rose from his seat at the table. Several of the first years bumped into each other at the unexpected halt.

'Dear students,' spoke Dumbledore, 'although it is not our custom, I would like to delay the Sorting for a short announcement. As you are undoubtedly aware of, the train on which you traveled was attacked this morning. In the process, twelve parents of students were injured. I am glad to report all will make a full recovery.'

The Hall erupted in cheers, which were briefly broken by the entrance of 3 Slytherins: Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. They all glared at Harry, but quietly made their way to their House table.

'However,' Dumbledore continued, 'not all those present at the station were so lucky. Three innocent Muggles were killed in the attack. I would like to ask for a minute of silence to remember them.

The Hall became eerily quiet as most students bowed their heads. Then, Harry heard stifled giggles. He turned around at the Slytherin table, to see several students there, including the three newest entrants, trying hard not to expose their obvious glee. Anger flared up inside him, and he felt Ron and Ginny stiffen to his sides.

Hermione whispered 'Don't mind them. No doubt Dumbledore will deal with them later.'

'Thank you,' Dumbledore continued, 'I will come back to this matter later on, but let's start the Sorting now.'

McGonagall resumed her walk through the Hall, and the first years followed. She placed the stool with the Hat in front of the teacher's table, and watched as the brim of the hat opened like a mouth.

For centuries it's been my part

To sort you and divide

That this weighs heavy on my heart

I've explained with all my might

For only twelve months passed

Since my last warning, my last song

Darkness approaches oh so fast

And I see it all go wrong

Hogwart's would be strongest

If the houses would unite

But my purpose is to sort you-

Though I pleaded for respite

But Gryffindor's great deeds

And Slytherin's great cunning

The values of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw

Combined would prove so winning

If all you special, magic kids

Would get past what you were taught

By friends and parents, Muggle, wizard or witch

Then to me occurred a thought

I'm not without powers of my own

Though some might not believe it

Tonight, animosity will be overthrown

In this hall, where you all sit

The time has come to join the ranks

And fight a common foe

And those who don't comply

Shall befall pain and woe

I truly do apologise

As it will not feel great

But I am old, and I am wise

And I have seen an evil fate

For now there is no wonder-babe

To save us from the dark

To gather and combine your strengths

before he brands his mark

I go to unsurpassed lengths

From now on you're all cursed

Students, teachers, ghosts alike

Evil thoughts – fit to burst

't will be a terrible strike

to the hearts of darkness that reside

so coolly still among us here

No more time now left to bide

But there is no great cause for fear

Change your thoughts and lo! Behold!

Your pains will soon subside

To warmth you're led, from cold

Finally now my last refrain

Enjoy your feast, tuck in!

Remember thoughts will kill the pain

Let the Sorting now begin!

The Hall had never been this quiet after a Song. Then, a murmur started to fill the Hall, quickly turning into heated conversations.

Even the teachers seemed stunned at what they had just heard. Harry looked at Hermione, who usually understood thing, even when he didn't. But Hermione looked just as baffled as all other students at the table.

McGonagall tried to regain a semblance of composure as she called forwards the first years one by one. 'Students, when I call your name, please sit down on the stool and place the Hat firmly on your head.'

Appleby, Marian, looked absolutely terrified as she was the first to put on the Hat. The brim opened again, and shouted 'Hufflepuff'. The Hufflepuffs cheered, though with much less gusto than usual. Harry tuned out the Sorting, musing what the contents of the Song. It seemed that the Hat had placed some sort of curse on all present. But was it even able to do that? And what did it mean?

They were to change their thoughts. But to what? And how would the curse cause this change of thought? It was all terribly confusing.

He looked up with interest when Crabbe, Divina, was called to the stool. The Sorting Hat seemed to be taking its time with her before finally shouting 'Gryffindor'.

There was a polite applause from some Gryffindors, as Divina turned a bright red and quickly shuffled towards an empty seat. Harry, Ron and Ginny quickly turned towards her big brother, who seemed to be even more confused than usual. His mouth was moving, but no sound came out, and he looked very much like a fish on dry land. Hermione, meanwhile was trying to strike up a conversation with the girl. Divina seemed to be more occupied with shooting fearful glances at her brother, however.

They turned to the Sorting once again as Jordan, Jocasta, took place on the stool. She was soon sorted into Gryffindor. Running fast, she made her way over to the table and wedged herself in between Ginny and Harry. Hermione seemes extremely pleased with something.

'What's up?' Harry whispered.

'Looks like my parents weren't the only ones pre-occupied with Greek mythology when they picked a name for their daughter. Suddenly Hermione doesn't sound that bad anymore.'

Harry looked very nonplussed.

'Jocasta, or Epicaste, slept with her own son, Oedipus!' Hermione whispered. 'Poor girl!'.

Suddenly, Harry felt very content with his 13-in-a-dozen, regular name.

Finally, Versal, Timothy was sorted into Slytherin, and the Sorting had come to an end. Dumbledore rose from his seat once again.

'Dear students, undoubtedly there are many questions about the Song you all just heard. But there is a time for answers and there is a time for eating. So tuck in!'

One the table appeared the customary bowls of all kinds of food, and Ron was among the first to attack them. Harry was about to join him when he felt a pinch in his side. He looked for the source of the pinch, and found Jocasta beaming up at him.

'Harry,' she said breathlessly. 'You chased those scary men away on the train, didn't you, Harry? Divina told me when we were going across the lake in the boats. You really are a hero, aren't you, Harry?' She smiled a smile of devotion, while Ginny snorted in her goblet of pumpkin juice. Harry just turned a bright red, and glared at Ginny.

She decided to help him out. 'Yes, Jocasta, Harry is a hero. But he doesn't really mean to. It just comes naturally to him. A few years ago, he saved me from a bad man, and I also thought he was the bravest person alive. And he is very brave, otherwise he wouldn't be in Gryffindor, would he?'

Jocasta nodded.

'But he doesn't really like to be called a hero. It's like… oh, how should I explain this. Do you know how you feel when your brother teases you?'

Jocasta nodded again. 'Yes, I don't like it. He always teases me with my nose. He says it's too pointy.'

'Well, Harry's being brave is like your pointy nose,' Ginny continued. 'It's part of him.'

'But I'm not teasing him about it, am I?' Jocasta said fearfully.

'No, of course you're not love,' Ginny smiled. 'But when anyone calls him a hero he feels the same way as you do when Lee teases you with your nose.'

Jocasta seemed quite nonplussed at the explanation. But she appeared to have made the decision that the older girl probably knew more about this than she did. 'Okay then' said Jocasta. 'Can I still call him The-Boy-Who-Lived, though?'

Harry was amazed at the ability of the girls to talk about him like he wasn't even there. He decided to step in, as Ginny seemed to be unable to answer the question.

'Jocasta, look. For years I have been called The-Boy-Who-Lived. I don't really like the title, as to me it sounds like The-Boy-Who-Lived-Even-Though-His-Parents-Godfather-And-Hundreds-Of-Others-Didn't. I only lived because my mum died to rescue me. Do you understand why I don't like to be reminded of that?'

Jocasta nodded, with tears filling her eyes. 'Your mum did that?'

Even though she should have heard the story before, it was like the impact of it just hit her this moment. 'I'm sorry, Harry'.

She flung her arms around Harry's neck. 'You can share my mum with me if you want'.

Jocasta seemed to be just as outgoing as her big brother, with the added benefit of having a girl's temper and a child's sweetness.

'I'll just call you Harry then, alright?'

'Thank you, Jocasta. That's nice of you. Now, if you don't mind, I'd really like to eat something.'

Jocasta sat down in her own seat again, blushing violently.

During this conversation, Hermione had been trying to convince Divina that it really wasn't that odd that she was in a different house than her brother. Divina seemed to have calmed down slightly, but was still just picking at her food.

Ginny whispered something in Jocasta's ear, who immediately stood up, picked up her plate and cutlery, and made her way around the table. She wedged herself in between Divina and Hermione, and started talking to Divina in hushed tones.

Hermione, meanwhile, looked up at the others. 'So what do you think about the Sorting Hat's Song then? I think the Hat has done something to try and make the houses unite.'

'Fo fooks bike but' Ron managed to blurt out, his mouth filled with a variety of food. Ginny and Hermione looked disgusted, Harry was more amused.

"I think what Ron is trying to say is that it sure looks like it,' said Harry. 'I guess Dumbledore will explain it after dinner.'

'And how about the new DADA teacher,' Hermione said while looking at the teacher's table.

Harry hadn't really given the issue a lot of thought, but when he looked at the table he did see an empty seat.

'Dunno,' he said. 'I didn't hear anything about it when we were at Grimmauld Place either.'

They spent the rest of the meal trying to figure out who the new teacher could be, but kept coming up blank.

Finally, the plates cleared from the table, and Dumbledore stood up for the third time.

'Students, I will have to keep you from your beds for a little while longer. I realise this has been a tiring day, but some things need to be said. First, the Song that was sung by the Sorting Hat this evening. As the older students have undoubtedly realised, it is quite different from its usual rhymes. I'm afraid the Sorting Hat has placed us all under a curse. The extent of it will probably become clear in the next few days. However, what is clear is that the Hat is tired of the extent of the House rivalry that has been part of this school for such a long time. Rivalry among houses is quite common, even in Muggle boarding schools. But over the last few decades, this rivalry has developed into animosity and utter dislike; in some cases even blantant hate. I would like to advise you all to try and control your thoughts of rivalry. I will come back to this subject at a later date.

Secondly, the attack on the Express, which took place this morning. It was a vicious and brutal attack, aimed at the death and injury of students. Because we had foreseen this threat, we were able to get most of you on the train early, so that it could depart before the designated time. Undoubtedly this saved many lives. In the aftermath, 13 of Voldemort's followers were placed under arrest.'

Dumbledore ignored the collective gasps and shrieks that were a reaction to the name he had spoken.

'Your safety is of the utmost importance to everyone who runs this school, and we will try our very best to keep all of you safe during the course of this year, and the years to come. In my opinion, this school is the safest place for you to be. As an added security measure, Hogsmeade weekends will be announced on the morning the visits are allowed. I would also like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is still just that. Please stay away from it.'

'Then, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. The format of the course has been changed for the year. You will have one regular teacher, who I will hopefully be able to introduce to you at breakfast tomorrow. Added to regular classes you will also be attending guest lectures. People who have extensive experience in fighting dark wizards and creatures will give these lectures.'

'Now, if the prefects will please approach their Heads of House to learn the new passwords, you can all go up to your dorms.'

Harry and the others got up, but he was the only one making his way to the exit. With Ron, Ginny and Hermione all being prefects, they had some other business to attend before they could leave. He was almost outside the Hall when he saw McGonagall approaching him. She looked at Harry sternly and told him the Headmaster would like to meet with him in his office. The password was 'Canary Creams'.

Sighing, Harry made his way up to the Headmaster's office. No doubt he would be scolded for his interference with the attack earlier that day.

The gargoyles that guarded the office sprang to life on hearing the password, and Harry made his way up the revolving staircase. He entered the office to find the Headmaster already seated behind his desk. He wondered at the way Dumbledore had gotten there so soon. When he had left the Hall, he had still been sitting at the teachers table.

Dumbledore looked gravely at Harry and told him to sit down. Harry spoke immediately.

'I know we were supposed to sit in the train like good little kids, but we just couldn't. I mean, they shot a Killing Curse at one of the students! It was just-'

'I know, Harry,' Dumbledore interrupted. 'You never promised to stay out of dangerous business, not even when you joined the Order. I never really expected you, or Mr Weasley and the Misses Weasley and Granger to sit back. I think I know you a bit by now.'

Harry was quite surprised. He had expected the Headmaster to be very angry.

'However, you were also joined by some other students. Their exposure could have led to them being injured. You should have been more careful in that respect.'

'I'm sorry, sir, but that really wasn't an option. They are all members of the DA, and they noticed something was wrong. I tried to keep them out of it, but they decided to stick around. I couldn't very well have hexed them, could I?'

'No, I don't suppose you could,' Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. 'But speaking of the DA, what are your plans with that?'

Harry had expected that question. He had talked it over with the others during the summer.

'Well, sir, we will continue meeting, if that's alright. I've learned so much from Remus and Tonks over the summer, and I really would like to share that knowledge with the others. I will have to make the members aware of the dangers of associating with me, however. They should know what they are getting themselves into.'

'So you want to tell them the prophecy?' Dumbledore looked very apprehensive.

'No sir. I think that would be too dangerous.' Harry saw that Dumbledore let out a small sigh of relief. 'But I am a target, and anyone near me could be caught in the crossfire. I wouldn't blame anyone for being afraid of Voldemort and his followers. They will be given the choice to stay, learn more and deal with potential dangers, or leave, no hard feelings. Except for Dean Thomas, of course.'

During the course of the last weeks, Harry had grown progressively more angry at Dean' ill-treatment of Ginny. He didn't really know why he had gotten so angry, he just knew that he was. Seeing Dean among the group of students whose parents had been injured had only relieved that anger for a short time.'

'Ah, yes, Mr Thomas,' said Dumbledore. 'It is obvious he made some mistakes, but I would not give up on him just yet.'

Harry was startled at knowledge Dumbledore seemed to possess even on this personal matter.

'Do you plan to take on any new members?' Dumbledore continued.

'Not really. We discussed it, but thought it would be smart to stick with this group. I know I can trust them. Besides, I don't really think I would be able to handle any more people.'

'No. I don't suppose you could. There was one last matter I wanted to discuss with you, before I send you off to your bed.' Dumbledore looked slightly apprehensive.

Harry was tired, and wanted to get things over with. 'What is it, sir,' he sighed.

'You are aware of all the improvements in Grimmauld Place, as well as that it is still our Headquarters, even after Sirius… demise.' Dumbledore looked even more apprehensive now.

I always hurt when anyone mentioned Sirius. I felt like someone tore at Harry's heart. He didn't understand why Dumbledore had felt the need to bring the matter up again. Didn't he understand that it hurt?

Harry felt his temper rising again, but it seemed like Dumbledore had foreseen that this time.

'Harry, I do not bring the matter up to hurt you any more than you are already hurting. But-' he pulled out an official looking document 'arrangements need to be made.'

Harry didn't understand what was going on.

'Sirius put you in his testament as his legal heir, which means you get his full inheritance. Obviously there is still the matter of his being a convicted criminal. The Ministry has no official knowledge of his death. They still think he is a refugee. Arthur has taken the number of Aurors looking for Sirius down from 20 to 3. He can't stop the search completely, because then too many questions will arise among the public. We will not be able to publicly clear Sirius from all charges until we capture Peter Pettigrew, which means you can't touch your inheritance for now. The Ministry has frozen Sirius's assets, and they will remain that way until his name has been cleared. However, the have no knowledge of the existence of Grimmauld Place. This will be made legally yours by signing this document. He held the piece of parchment out to Harry.

Harry didn't know what to do or feel. 'But… But… I don't want his inheritance. I just want Sirius,' said Harry in a small voice.

'I know, Harry,' Dumbledore sounded very sad. 'However, the protections and Secret Keeper spell on the house will only last for a few more weeks, now that Sirius is gone. The rituals and spells have to be gone through again with the new owner, or the house will be fully exposed. I understand if you don't want to do this tonight, but we should really get on with this soon.'

'I understand, sir,' Harry conceded. He understood the importance of a safe haven for Order members. He also knew that although he would be always welcome at the Burrow, he needed a home. Now that the most of the darkness had been driven from the house, it wasn't as bad. He knew Sirius had never liked being there, but the house contained many memories of Sirius, happy and sad. He didn't want to lose those.

'Good. Then we will take care of the rituals during our Occlumency meeting on Wednesday, alright?' said Dumbledore.

'Sure. Whatever suits you best, sir.' Harry was tired, but he did have one last question to ask. It had been on his mind for months now, but he had never found the right time to ask it. In his meetings with the Headmaster, they had mostly steered clear of the subject of Sirius' death. Now seemed to be a good time, however.

'Sir?' said Harry tentatively. 'What is behind the veil? Where did Sirius go? Why couldn't we bury him?'

'I was wondering when you would ask me this question, Harry. Unfortunately, I am not able to tell you any more than what you already know, that death is what lingers beyond the veil. However, I have talked the subject over with Arthur. If you so desire, he is willing to send an Unspeakable here to explain the matter more in-depth to you. Understandably, anything that you would learn about the veil would have to be kept secret. You would not even be able to tell me about it.'

Harry considered the possibility. It would be very difficult to be forbidden to talk to anyone about it. However, he needed to know where Sirius had gone. 'I would like to meet with an Unspeakable, sir.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'I expected as much. I will let Arthur know, and we will set a time and place for the meeting. Now, it is time for you to go up to your dorm.'

Harry took his leave, and made his way to the Gryffindor common room. Upon finding the room empty he thanked his lucky stars for remembering to ask the Headmaster what the password was. When he was about to enter his dorm he hear loud voices inside. Poking his head around the corner, he saw an odd scene. Neville was sitting on top of Ron, apparently trying to wrestle him for his wand, while Seamus was trying to control Dean. Dean and Ron were both cursing.

'Hey! What in the world is going on here?' Harry shouted over the curses and sounds of struggle.

All four boys whipped their heads towards Harry, and started explaining in loud voices. He couldn't make out anything of what they were saying. Taking out his wand, Harry silenced Ron, Dean and Seamus with Silencing Charms. Their mouths were still moving, but no sound was coming out. As soon as they realised this, they all looked extremely put out, especially Ron.

'Neville, could YOU please explain what's the matter?' asked Harry.

Nevile remained sitting on top of Ron and drew a deep breath. 'Well, first Ron started to have a go at Dean for cheating on Ginny with Maisy. Then Dean said that he never cheated, because he broke up with Ginny before he was with Maisy. Ron got angry, because that was a lie. He said Ginny didn't receive the break-up note until after she saw Maisy snogging Dean. Then Ron said Dean deserved it that his mum got injured, because of how he treated Ginny, and how he had treated you early last year. They started duelling, and Seamus and I tried to stop them. And that's sort of when you came in.'

'Right.' Harry reckoned he should have expected something like this, but he really never expected Ron to display such viciousness. He wasn't too happy with Dean's behaviour towards Ginny himself, but no one should say that his mum deserved to get hurt.

'I'm sorry about your mum, Dean. She'll be fine though, right?' said Harry.

Dean tried to answer, but no sound came out.

'Oh, sorry. Finite Incantatem,' said Harry.

'Yeah, she will be, but it was close for a while. Dumbledore said she was buried under the rubble when the barrier collapsed. And I DID break up with Ginny before I went out with Maisy!'

'No, you didn't,' said Harry hotly. 'Owl post always arrives on the same day as it is sent, in Britain at least. Even Pig can deliver his messages in a day! Don't lie to me, Dean, I really am not in the mood tonight! Don't forget who you're talking to!'

'Who am I talking to then, Harry?' Dean answered even more hotly. 'Just because you have that scar doesn't mean I have to answer to you!'

'This has nothing to do with my scar, and you know it, Dean!' Harry shouted. 'Lord! I thought you'd gotten past this nonsense! I care a great deal about Ginny, and I'll be damned if I stand by and let someone I considered a friend hurt her!'

Harry quickly shut his mouth in shock over what he had just said. His anger at Dean was pushed aside by the things he just said about Ginny. Sure, he cared about her. But it was like he was defending her honour or something. Maybe Ginny was right about their brother/sister relationship. Brothers defend their sister's honour after all, Ron was living proof of that. But how come he didn't feel brotherly feelings? Or thought he didn't feel them. If some of these feelings were brotherly, brothers and sisters have very odd relationships indeed…

Harry was snapped out of his musings by the sound of Ron kicking his feet against the bedpost.

'Oh, sorry Ron, you want to have your say too?'

Ron nodded ferociously.

'Finite Incantatem,' Harry muttered, pointing his wand at Ron.

'You tell him, Harry! That bastard is lying right at our faces! I want him out of this room!'

As Ron and Dean started arguing again, Harry silenced them once more.

'Will you please cut that out!' he said exasperatedly. 'Dean, you were wrong in lying. Try that again and I swear I will not be able to control myself!'

Dean looked somewhat abashed, and Ron looked extremely smug. Harry turned his attention to Ron.

'Ron, you were very wrong about Dean's mum deserving to get hurt, and you know it. You're not naturally mean/ Too many things have been said in anger tonight. If you both could please apologise to each other, we can all go to bed. It's already past midnight. I'm sure we can work out the rest tomorrow.' Harry relieved Dean and Ron from the Silencing Charms again, glaring at both of them.

Dean was the first to speak. 'I'm sorry about how I treated Ginny, and I'm sorry I lied.'

Ron glared at him for a minute before saying 'I'm sorry I said your mum had it coming. No one deserves to be hurt by those bastards'.

'Well, that's settled then. Let's go to bed now.' Harry jumped on his bed and shut the drapes around them. They were soon opened again, and Harry saw Seamus looking intently at him.

'What is it now, Seamus,' he sighed. Seamus opened his mouth, but no sound came out. 'Oh, I'm sorry!' Harry gasped. 'Finite Incantatem,' he said, pointing his wand at Seamus.

'Thanks a lot, Harry!' Seamus scowled. 'I didn't even do anything, you know!' He closed the drapes violently, causing one of them to drop to the ground.

As Harry moved to hang the drapes up again, Neville came over. 'Harry,' he whispered. 'Did you ask Dumbledore about… well… you know.'

Harry smacked his forehead with his hand. 'Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot! I'm meeting with him again on Wednesday, I really will ask him then.'

Neville also scowled, and stalked over to his own bed.

Harry sighed, and laid back on his bed, staring at the darkness. Great way to start the year, for sure! He was in fighting with most of his friends, and he had the meeting with the Unspeakable and Sirius' inheritance to think about. The thing that bothered him most was his outburst about Ginny, though. He'd said he cared about her. And he did. But it was different than anything else he had felt for a girl before. It wasn't like anything he had felt for Cho. He had been able to distance himself enough from that feeling to examine it. He had liked her shiny hair, and she did have nice legs. He had admired her for her Seeker skills as well. But his annoyance at her constant blubbering, and her pushiness, had soon negated everything he liked about her. When he had kissed her it has also felt odd. Like it was the wrong person he was kissing.

The feelings he had for Ginny were also different than the ones he had for Hermione. Hermione was very close to him, she was a good friend, a mate, and he also felt an urge to protect her. Ginny was a mate, but then again, she wasn't. Harry couldn't understand why these feeling all had to be so complicated. Musing a bit more, he soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Harry made his way down to the common room with Ron. Ron was still upset with Dean, but they at least managed to act civilised around each other. However, it also seemed that he was upset with Harry. But Harry knew that he'd been right to call Ron on his behaviour, and was sure that his friend would get over it.

They met up with Hermione and Ginny in the common room, and together set off for breakfast. Harry noticed that Hermione and Ron were lagging behind a bit, and Ron was whispering something to her. It wasn't long before he heard an exclamation from Hermione.

'RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING TO A FRIEND!'

Ron flushed, but continued to whisper to her. Hermione apparently decided that now was not the time for a public scene, as she answered Ron in whispers.

'Wonder what that's all about,' said Ginny.

'Ron decided that last night was a good moment to defend your honour by telling Dean his mum deserved to be wounded in the attack yesterday,' Harry said in a hushed voice.

'HE DID WHAT? OOOOOH! THAT BOY!' Ginny turned on her heel and undoubtedly would have smacked her brother if Harry hadn't grabbed her arm.

'Don't,' he said. 'I already put him in his place last night, and no doubt he's receiving a new scolding from Hermione right now. He knows he was wrong, he just has to come to terms with it. He didn't like the way Dean treated you, and to be frank, neither did I,' he said firmly.

Harry saw Ginny's eyes light up for a second, but the light was gone as quick as it had appeared.

'So, you didn't… defend my honour… then?' Ginny said while looking away at a painting.

'What? Why? As a matter of fact, I did. I do care about you as well, you know.' Harry was confused. What would it matter if he had defended her? Why did she care?

'Oh, of course you do. You care about me just like Ron does, don't you!' And with that, Ginny ran off.

'But… No… I… Not like Ron does!' he shouted at her retreating back, but it didn't seem like she'd heard it.

He turned around to find Ron looking at him questioningly. Hermione just looked pleased about something again. They continued to the Great Hall, and Harry was glad to find that Ron was acting normal towards him again.

'Thanks,' he whispered to Hermione as they sat down.

'Not a problem,' she whispered back, just as the owls were flying in through the windows. Hermione let out a small sound of delight when she looked at the front page of her Daily Prophet.

'What is it?' Harry and Ron said simultaneously, leaning over to take a look at the paper.

ANTI-WEREWOLF LEGISLATION OVERTURNED

In a shocking decision, interim Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley pushed through some major reforms in legislature last night. During a press conference, held after a meeting of a Wizengamot meeting held at midnight last night, it was announced that werewolves will be joining our workforce once again.

'We should remember that werewolves are as much human as you or I,' said the minister in a surprising statement. 'They just had the misfortune of running into a werewolf during the full moon at a point in their lives. It seems hardly fair that they should be punished for this misfortune.'

The Minister announced that werewolves will get 3 unpaid days of leave each month. These days, 1 the day before the full moon and two days after, will be spent at a secure location under the supervision of the Ministry.

'At night, the people in question will be locked in separate rooms, and during the day they will be able to socialise. These werewolf hospices, where they will be staying, have all the comforts of a regular home. There is a living room, kitchen, library, courtyard and recreational area. The only difference is that the bedrooms will be shut from the outside during the nights.'

The Minister also claims that these measures will lead to a decrease of the werewolf population. 'For the safety of the werewolves, as well as the general public, every British werewolf will have to check into a local hospice before each full moon for the rest of their lives. This should lead to decreased new attacks, eventually leading to the disappearance of werewolves altogether. Any werewolf that fails to check in will placed under arrest.'

Employers are not allowed to decide against hiring a werewolf because of their 'problem'. Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is among the first to (re)hire a werewolf: Remus Lupin. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore commented: 'Professor Lupin is one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts Teachers the school has seen in a long time. During the times of his absence, the class will be taken over by other qualified wizards.'

It remains to be seen if the results of the students will suffers from these absences.

'Excellent!' Ron exclaimed. They looked around for Remus just as he entered the Great Hall. Applause broke out at several tables. Remus smiled, and walked over towards Harry and the others.

'Sorry I didn't tell you before,' Remus said apologetically. 'We still didn't know if the Wizengamot would agree with the hospice idea.'

'You thought of that?' Hermione said admiringly.

'I did. For years I longed for a place to be safe during my transformations, as well as for a place where I could meet other werewolves. It's a lonely existence sometimes, but that will all change now. Hopefully, in about 50 years, the werewolf population will have diminished by 50. But tell me, do you know what is happened here?' His eyes roamed around the Hall.

First, Harry didn't know what he was talking about, but he quickly noticed some oddities as well.

Almost three-quarters of the Slyterins were looking very ill. Most of them were holding their heads like they were afraid they would explode. He could even see tears streaming down some faces. He also couldn't see Malfoy and Goyle.

At the other tables, there were a lot less people looking ill. 8 Ravenclaws seemed sick, and 4 Hufflepuffs. None at the Gryffindor table seemed affected by this strange illness though.

'Do you think this has something to do with the Sorting Hat's curse,' Hermione said in a concernec voice.

'What curse?' said Remus.

He sat down as Harry, Ron and Hermione related the events that had taken place the previous night. When they finished Remus stood up and made his way towards the teacher's table. Dumbledore soon stood up and asked for everyone's attention.

'Dear students. It seems like the extent of the Curse we were placed under has been made clear this morning. It appears as though anyone with unfounded feelings of dislike towards the member of any other House will suffer from severe headaches. It also appears that Madam Pomfrey is unable to relieve this pain with her excellent healing skills.'

Madam Pomfrey was sitting at the teacher's table, looking quite put out at her own disability.

'It seems that the only way the pain can be relieved is to change your own thought patterns. All students that suffer from the pain need to review their thoughts of animosity, and their reasons behind those thoughts. I am quite sure that this will take care of the problem.' Harry wasn't sure, but it looked like Dumbledore was smiling slightly.

'Now I have one more announcement. For those of you who haven't noticed yet, and the younger students, it is my great pleasure to welcome Professor Lupin back into our midst.'

There was applause again from most of the students, those that were not suffering from the headaches already that is.

Dumbledore sat down again, and Harry looked at the other teachers. Snape was scowling, but didn't seem to suffer from the headaches. 'Greasy git,' he muttered, 'must have found a way around the - OUCH!' A sharp pain stabbed through his head.

'Looks like the Slytherins aren't the only ones who need to check their thoughts,' Hermione smirked.

'Cut it out, Hermione, my feelings towards Snape aren't unfounded at all – OUCH!' The pain stabbed even sharper.

'Maybe some of them aren't, but whatever it was you were thinking just now was probably unfounded.'

Harry didn't want to prove her true, but she was right. He disliked Snape for his awful Occlumency lessons, and for the way he treated him in class. But he had no right to think that Snape had cheated the Curse, and not let anyone know about it.

'OUCH!' Ron shouted.

'What were you thinking, Ron?' Hermione smiled sweetly.

'Just – OUCH – that that oaf – OUCH – Crabbe doesn't seem to be in any pain- OUCH!'

'That is odd,' Hermione said. 'You'd think that a friend of Malfoy's – OUCH! Mother of all that is holy, that hurts!'

Harry sniggered. 'We know it hurts. Doesn't look so funny when you're on the receiving end, does it?'

Hermione scowled. 'Maybe we've been wrong about Crabbe. Or maybe it's just that our feelings towards him are unfounded. I guess we'll all have to learn to live with this curse…'

Author's Notes:

There it is again, a nice long chapter. I think so anyway. I hope you like my attempt at uniting the Houses.

Can't remember who it was that reminded me of the will. I was supposed to discuss it before I moved the kids to Hogwarts, but I forgot. Silly me. I guess that's what you get when you let a story sit for a year.

Since I started writing again I noticed the use of a Merlin's Blessing in a story called Dumbledore's Army (great story, by the way, I recommend it). When I developed my storyline this story was unwritten (or at least, unread by myself). My Blessing of Merlin has absolutely nothing to do with the other Merlin's Blessing. It is completely different.

Please remember that I developed my story line in March 2004. Any similarities between my storyline and plot, and that of other stories that were published after that date are completely coincidental. I'm fearing the plot of Harry Potter and the Spiritus Crystalus might be moving in the same direction as my own. I've not finished reading it, so of course I could be completely wrong. However, if the plot does prove to be similar (and you won't know, cause I won't tell) it is coincidental, not plagiarism.

Again, reviews are greatly appreciated. The next chapter is 'Plain Death'.


	11. Plain Death

Disclaimer: I'm still just a visitor in the magical world of Harry Potter, borrowing the inspirations of JK Rowling!

Chapter 11

Plain Death

Harry soon learned that Malfoy, Goyle and a few other students were in the infirmary. Supposedly, the pains they suffered were so bad that they could barely move.

Ginny had never come to Great Hall for breakfast. Harry still wondered what her outburst had been all about.

McGonagall had visited their table with their schedules for the term. Harry had decided on taking 6 NEWTs, in Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Hermione was taking 8 NEWTs, in DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Potions, Astrology and Herbology. Ron was still put out at being unable to take Potions, and had finally settled on 5 NEWTS, in DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Ron sighed. 'Well, at least I don't have to take Divination and History of Magic anymore. Doubt I would pass History without Hermione's notes anyway. And Divination was okay once Firenze taught it, but it's still a bit of a loopy subject, isn't it?

'Glad you're finally seeing the light, Ron,' Hermione said smugly. 'Don't sell yourself short on History though. I'm sure you'd do fine, as long as you applied yourself.'

'Really, Hermione, you seem to be the only person in the school who's able to escape hypnosis by Professor Binns.'

'Well, looks like we're still together in most of the classes, that's a plus,' said Harry in an attempt to cheer up Ron. 'Each NEWT course is 3 classes a week, each lasting for 2 hours. That's like having 3 double Potions classes a week, ugh! Still, doesn't look my amount of class hours has increased much.'

'I actually have less class hours than last year,' Ron said happily.

'So no reason to leave your homework for the last minute then,' said Hermione sweetly.

Ron moaned. 'Are you starting with me already? Classes haven't even started yet!'

'Well,' Hermione continued, obviously not wanting to get into a row, 'looks like my course load is about the same. I did drop quite some subjects though. I don't know how I would have managed if I had kept on History or Muggle Studies.'

When breakfast was finished they set of to their first collective class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Settling into their seats, they soon discovered that there were only other Gryffindors present. Still, the class was a good as full.

'Good morning, and welcome to your first NEWT year,' Remus said. 'As you will have noticed, you'll only be studying this subject with your own House this year. The previous professor' he spat out the word 'didn't set any guidelines for the minimum required grade to be accepted into the course. And when taking into account the level of respectability of your teachers (present company excluded of course) the Headmaster decided to allow all students that are willing to learn something into the class. As a result of this, almost all students are taking this NEWT course, and combining the Houses caused the groups to be too large.

Then, my first request to you is to forget everything you learned in this class last year.'

The class cheered, even Hermione.

'There is no way a Death Eater or other Dark wizard will negotiate with you,' Remus continued. 'When you encounter one, their aim will be to kill, injure or capture you. Your aim will be to prevent this, and where possible, capture and incapacitate your opponent. However, there might be times when you face multiple opponents. You also need to be prepared for this. I understand that there are differences in your level of practical capability at the moment. If Harry would mind assisting me, I would like to demonstrate to you the level you should all have reached by the end of this year.'

Harry felt abashed, but at the same time eager to display some of the new spells he'd learned to his friends. He got up and walked towards the stage that had been erected in front of the class.

'Hermione, Ron, would you also care to join us for this demonstration?' said Remus.

'Of course, Professor Lupin,' Hermione jumped up excitedly.

Harry was wondering what in the world was going on.

'Now, Harry will need to defend himself from 3 different opponents; Hermione, Ron and myself,' said Remus. 'Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure you'll do fine,' he added in an undertone at seeing Harry's shocked expression.

Harry approached Remus and whispered 'But I've never put those spells in practice, remember? We only studied the theory.'

'Don't worry Harry,' said Remus again, 'you studied the theory for the whole length of the summer. I'm confident you'll be able to successfully cast all spells.' He added more loudly 'Now, if all duellers will please take their positions?'

Harry walked over to the left side of the stage, while Ron, Hermione and Lupin fanned out across the other end.

'Prepare and take out your wands,' Remus said loudly. 'Don't bother bowing, because no Dark Wizard will bow to you before Avadra Kedavra-ing your sorry ass.'

Shocked murmurs and gasps could be heard from the other students, but Harry just smiled. It was nice to see that Remus was regaining some of his sense of humour.

'Ready? And… START!' Remus shouted.

Harry dropped to the floor immediately, and felt several spells flying over his head while he rolled across the stage. While rolling he was aiming spells at his three opponents. He managed to hit Ron with the Tickling Charm, but Hermione quickly relieved him off that. Noticing that her mind was preoccupied with rescuing Ron from the terrible tickles, Harry quickly fired two spells at her. First, he shouted 'Blubberius', and took great interest in the effect the spell had when it hit her square in the chest. It looked like Hermione was melting, and soon she resembled nothing more than a puddle of Hermione of the floor. He put her in a full body bind, just in case, and turned his attention to his remaining two opponents.

He was able to cast a Shield Charm just before a pink coloured streak of light that had come from Remus' wand hit him. The jet of light ricocheted off his shield with great force, and bounced through the classroom before hitting Parvati Patil. While deflecting other spells and curses he noticed Parvati's bum and belly quickly swelling to the size of large skippy balls.

He laughed at Remus and said 'Oh, a vanity spot Engorgio! You want to play it like that then?'

He jumped up when Ron aimed a Tarantagrella as his feet. Unfortunately for Hermione the spell ricocheted across the floor to hit the puddle that she now was, causing it to wobble and tremble like pudding.

Being distracted by the odd sight of the wobbly Hermione puddle he never noticed the quiet disarming spell Ron cast, and he felt his wand flying out of his hand.

'Bugger!' he yelled, before starting to cartwheel around the stage. He had to keep moving fast, now that he had no real means to protect himself from the spells that were flying around him. Dropping to the ground he felt something in his pocket. Of course! One of the boxes of Pointing Pixies! He taken it with him to see if he could give Snape a little surprise during the day. He felt a sharp pain stab at his head, but he ignored it and threw the box at Ron's feet. It burst open, and hundreds of giggling and pointing Pixies erupted from it, flying quickly around Ron's head. He dove at Ron, who was flailing his arms wildly, knocking him off his feet. He grabbed his wand back, and took Ron's wand as well. He rolled away again, noticing a spell from Remus hitting the place where he had just been leaving some small holes in the stage.

'Darnit Harry!' Remus called. 'I would've loved to see what kind of Swiss cheese you'd make!'

Harry put Ron in a full body bind as well, before turning his full attention to Remus. The next few minutes were spent in an exhausting one-on-one duel, and Harry had exhausted most of the pranking spells he had learned. He had even used some of the more advanced defense spells. The advance attack spells he had learned couldn't be used, because they could do quite some physical damage. Remus and Harry had now both taken to conjuring objects to take cover behind. Harry was thinking frantically about how he could take out Remus, while hiding behind his conjured boulder. Surely he couldn't…? Or could he…? It was worth a try in any case. Pointing his wand over the boulder in the direction of Remus he shot out a quick volley of bat-bogey hexes, babbling curses, silencing charms, tickling charms and freezing charms. That should keep Remus busy long enough.

Breathing deeply, he tried to focus all of his magic. It was not an easy spell that he would be using. He saw the walls of the classroom shimmer a bright blue, before he felt a big surge of power. Then, he pointed his wand at the boulder and whispered 'Anima'. The boulder started rolling towards Remus with amazing speed. Remus, who had been busy with undoing a freezing charm that had hit his shoulder, never even saw the boulder coming until it hit his legs. He was knocked of his feet, and his wand flew out of his hand. Harry caught it and, pointing his wand at Remus, said 'incarcerous'. Ropes appeared out of thin air, tightly binding Remus.

He walked over towards his favourite Professor, smiled down at him and said 'Do you surrender?'.

'I do,' said Remus. 'Please untie me now, if you will?'

Harry relieved the spell effects from Remus and Ron. Hermione was just coming out of the effects of the Jelly Charm, but she was still shaking uncontrollably. Harry pointed his wand at her as well, and said 'Finite Incantatem'.

Hermione looked positively exhausted, as well as put out at the fact that she had been taken out of the duel so fast. 'That's the last time I'll ever help you again, Ron!' Hermione scowled.

But Ron was too busy with the pixies to even hear or see her. 'Thanks a lot, Harry,' he muttered. 'You knew these things will hang around for a couple of hours.'

'Sorry, mate,' Harry replied. 'But you'd taken my wand, and it was the only thing I could think of doing at the time.'

'I believe our willing volunteers deserve an applause, don't you think, class?' Remus said.

It was only then that Harry remembered there had been people watching, and he turned his attention at his classmates. They were all staring at Harry open-mouthed. Harry had managed to take out the smartest witch of the year, one (maybe not so brilliant but still quite) good wizard and their teacher! It was only when the first person started clapping that the rest snapped out of their amazement. The only people not clapping were Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Parvati was unable to sit because of her oversized bum, and she was sobbing quietly in a corner of the classroom. Lavender was softly rubbing her back.

Remus quickly pointed his wand at Parvati and returned her bum and belly to its regular size. 'I'm sorry about that, Miss Patil,' he said solemnly. But unless Harry was much mistaken, there was just a tiny hint of amusement in his voice as well. Harry himself found it quite funny as well. The Vanity Engorgement would cause the areas of the body that the person who is hit with the spell is most vain about, to swell up. Harry didn't even want to think what would have happened if he had been hit with the spell.

'Harry, Ron, Hermione, you can sit down again,' Remus continued.

Hermione was still walking a bit shakily. She had been hit with two spells that take a lot out of a person.

'All right class, what you witnessed just now was a good example of a multiple-opponent duel. It is not really representative for a duel with a Dark wizard, as they will obviously use much more dangerous spells. I am glad to announce that the Ministry has finally come to acknowledge that as well, and I have been given permission to teach you some of the more dangerous offensive spells. The core of this class is still defense, and some of the spells you will be taught should only be used in the direst of situations. I will get back to this later on in the term.'

The class continued with a lecture of the importance of being able to think on your feet, not panicking if you lose your wand and the use of conjuring objects. Before the class ended, Remus made a last announcement.

'No doubt you most of you are aware of some new regulations. Because of these regulations, I will be unavailable for classes 3 days each month.' He paused as Lavender let out a small yelp of pain.

'Do you have a problem with that, Miss Brown?' said Remus sweetly.

Lavender turned crimson, shook her head and whispered 'No, sir. I apologize, sir.'

'Okay then. During these days you will be attending guest lectures. Some of these will also be held when I am present. The guest lectures will be taught by Aurors Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Honorary Professor Tonks will teach you the basics of personal camouflage and appearance adaptation. This is extremely valuable in combat, especially for those who are not taking NEWT Configuration. Honorary Professor Shacklebolt will be teaching you about the art of warfare and fighting strategies of Death Eaters and other Dark wizards. Yes, Mr Finnigan?'

Harry looked around to see that Seamus had raised his hand hesitantly.

'Excuse me, sir, but it seems like you expect us to be in a war with Dark wizards any day now. We're just students, aren't we? What do we have to do with fighting Death Eaters?'

'We are at war, whether anyone likes it or not. Voldemort's power increases every day.' He scowled at the gasps and shrieks that were let out on hearing that name.

'This should stop right now,' said Remus exasperatedly. 'I understand it is difficult for you to hear or say that name, because you have been brought up fearing it. However, a wise person once told me that fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself. Fear Voldemort's actions, past and present, but do not fear his name. It does nothing, besides mess with the calm of a classroom. Your homework will be to practice saying his name. It will not cause him to jump out of the shadows, you have my guarantee on that.'

Harry felt Ron stiffen beside him, and Remus seemed to have noticed it too.

'Mr Weasley, you are excused from this particular assignment, at least for now,' said Remus. 'And no, I will not explain to all of you why that is, nor will I get into a discussion on the fairness of this decision. Further on in the term you might get an explanation. Now, practice saying Voldemort. If you can't do it by next class, you are banned from all DADA classes until you can. This might sound harsh, but I refuse to let perfectly good lectures be punctuated by pauses because some of you feel the need to shriek or gasp. Now, I would like to continue answering Mr Finnigan's question.' Remus sounded quite annoyed, but Harry felt like applauding him. For years he had failed to understand why no one would say the name of Voldemort, and now, finally, something might be done about it.

'Mr Finnigan,' Remus continued, 'it is too true that you are just students. However, in a few years you will be out on your own, and you need to have thorough understanding of the threats that you might face. At the moment, life is more dangerous than it has been for quite some years. Crawling into a hole and denying that truth will not ensure your survival. Nothing will, but knowing how to defend yourself does contribute to that survival. We do not expect you to be attacked at this school, but you can't stay here forever. We want to make sure that you have the means to defend yourself when you are not as well protected as you are here. If you cannot or will not see the use of that, then I wonder what you are doing in this class.'

Seamus looked abashed and murmured something.

'What was that, Mr Finnigan?' Remus asked sweetly.

'No…no… I see the use of it,' Seamus said quietly.

Then, the bell rang, and everyone gathered up their things and made their way to the exit. Harry was following Ron and Hermione outside when Remus stopped him.

'Harry, could I just talk to you for one second?' he said.

'Well, sure,' said Harry. He had a feeling he knew what Remus wanted to talk about. 'It's about my animating that boulder, isn't it?'

'That's right, Harry. I don't remember studying that spell with you over the summer.'

Harry shrugged. 'I came across it in one of the books, and thought it might be useful. I didn't know if I'd be able to do it, though, as the book said that the spell was quite advanced. But I figured that making a boulder roll would be easier than for example bring statues to life, like Dumbedore did last year.'

'You're actually wrong there, Harry. Once you have grasped the basics, you'll be able to animate any inanimate object to do what you want it to do. And it is very advanced magic indeed, I don't know of anyone who was able to do the spell without a lot of practice.' Remus looked slightly concerned.

'Well, I don't really know what enabled me to cast it. I just focused, and it sort of worked. I did see the walls shimmer for a minute, but I figured it was just part of the spell I was about to use.'

Remus seemed lost in thought for a moment. 'Somehow, I don't think it is. I will discuss this with the Headmaster. I'm quite sure it can only be good though, nothing to worry about,' he added reassuringly.

'Okay, if that was all, I need to go on to my next class.'

The next few days were spent in a haze of classes, warnings to all the students to apply themselves to their studies, and homework. Harry had discussed his use of the Animation spell with Hermione and Ron, and had been astonished to find out that Hermione had never managed to master the spell.

'Well, of course it is an advanced level spell, so we're not really expected to have mastered it yet. But that doesn't mean I haven't been playing around with it a bit,' said Hermione. 'I haven't even been able to animate a quill yet though, so I do wonder why you were able to do it on your first try.' She looked at Harry curiously.

'I don't know either,' said Harry. 'Remus said he'd talk it over with Dumbledore though, maybe he has an explanation.'

Harry thought Ginny had been avoiding them. She hadn't been in the Hall for most of the meals, and she seemed to spend all of her free time either in her dorm, or on the castle ground. He still hadn't figured out why she was behaving so oddly. He did have to admit to himself that he missed having her around. She always seemed to lighten his spirits, and take his mind of all things that were troubling him.

Wednesday evening arrived, and Harry made his way to the Headmaster's office. Tonight he would have to go through the rituals that made him the new owner of Grimmauld Place, as well as those that would protect its location from outsiders.

He knocked on the door of the office, and entered on Dumbledore's invitation. He was astonished to see the office area transformed. It had been cleared from desk and chairs, and the room was filled with candles and strange looking objects. On the floor was a drawing of something that looked like a flower with eight petals. In its centre was a circle with a question mark.

'Please, Harry,' Dumbledore said, 'come on in.'

Harry walked towards the corner of the room where Dumbledore was standing.

'We don't have much time between you assuming ownership of the house, and the finalisation of the Secret Keeper ritual,' said Dumbledore. 'First, you'll need to sign the deed of the house, and then we'll proceed to the ritual. I'll say the Fidelius Charm, then you'll ask me officially to be Secret Keeper for you and the Order, and I will promise that I'll keep it safe. Are you ready to do this?'

Harry nodded, and tears swam in his eyes as he saw Dumbledore wave his wand over the parchment that read 'Deed to Grimmauld Place 12, London'. Sirius' signature, at the bottom of the page, disappeared, and Harry was handed a quill. He quickly signed the deed, avoiding looking at it too much.

'Now then Harry, please join me over here.' Dumbledore was standing in the question mark circle. Harry quickly walked over. He heard the incantation 'Fidele Secretum. Secretum Transferum' and saw Dumbledore nodding at him.

Harry took a deep breath. 'Professor Albus Dumbledore, hereby I ask you to be the Secret Keeper for the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix: Number 12 Grimmauld Place, which is located in London and owned by Harry James Potter.'

Dumbledore smiled before saying, 'I understand this request and promise to be the Secret Keeper you require.'

There was a blinding flash of light before the room went completely dark. Harry and Dumbledore were both knocked off their feet. Sitting on opposite ends of the room they just looked at each other for a while. Dumbledore was the first to speak again.

'Harry, where are the Headquarters of the Order located?'

'Number 12 Grimmauld Place, of course,' Harry said, confused at such an obvious question.

'Could you please write down the following text: The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix are located at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.' A quill and parchment appeared in front of Harry.

He started writing, but as he reached 'are located at' he felt his hand stop. He couldn't write down the location.

'Good,' Dumbledore smiled. 'I think the ritual went as –.' He broke off as the fireplace glowed bright green, and Hestia Jones stepped out of it. She looked bewildered.

'Albus? What is going on? I was going to Headquarters when suddenly I couldn't remember where it was!'

'Oh my,' said Dumbledore, 'the transference must have caused the previous Fidelius to be negated. I'm sorry, Harry, but I will need to go visit every Order member right now to make sure they know where to go.'

'I understand,' said Harry. 'But sir, before you go, Neville is feeling really left out, but I don't know what I'm allowed to tell him.'

'Of course, of course,' Dumbledore said absentmindedly. 'Send Mr Longbottom to my office tomorrow night, if you will. Oh, and there is someone who wants to talk to you. Just go through that door,' he pointed to the far end of the room 'and you'll see.' And with that, he grapped a pinch of floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and called 'Numer 12 Grimmauld Place'. When Hestia Jones had followed him, Harry made his way towards the door. He had never been through there before, and he wondered who wanted to talk to him.

Stepping through, he saw an immense sitting room. A cosy fire was crackling in the fireplace, some squashy armchairs surrounding it. In one of them was sitting a short, pale woman.

The woman stood up. 'Ah, you must be Harry. My name is Elizabeth Atrill,' she said while extending her hand. 'I work in the Department of Mysteries.'

Harry was flabbergasted. 'I… I hadn't expected you so soon,' Harry stammered. 'Professor Dumbledore said he'd set up a meeting, but I thought he meant in a week or two.'

'That was the plan,' said Elizabeth, 'but when I learned why you wanted to speak to me I thought it was important I'd meet with you as soon as possible. I am sorry about your godfather, Harry,' she said sincerely. 'Professor Dumbledore wouldn't tell me who he was, but he did say you cared about him a great deal.'

'I did,' Harry said, tearing slightly up again. He still hadn't gotten used to anyone mentioning Sirius, and he sure wasn't used to condolences.

'I am going to explain to you what is in that room, but I really do not like being interrupted. So would you mind terribly to save any questions for when I've finished?'

'No, that's fine,' said Harry. He just wanted to know what had happened to Sirius.

'First, I have to remind you again that the revelation of Mystery knowledge is punishable by 10 years in Azkaban and banishment from the magical community. Do you understand this?' said Elizabeth.

'I do,' Harry said solemnly. If he'd ever have any problems with keeping secret what he would learn tonight, the banishment threat was all the motivation he needed.

'Let's get on with it, then,' said Elizabeth. 'The veil that is in the Death Chamber has been used throughout the centuries for multiple purposes, but 2 of these are most important. The first purpose was for death sentences. Like in civilized Muggle countries, death sentences were abolished in the last century. But before they were, there were several executions annually. The convicts were forced to step through the veil. I understand you already know that death is what is beyond it?' she looked at Harry.

Harry nodded.

'During the course of the centuries, the veil was also a tool in the study of what death is. This question is as old as mankind. It is of no importance how we discovered what we did. More important are the general conclusions we have been able to draw up until this date. The main conclusion is that death consists of three plains. The first plain of death is denial. This is the plain on which ghosts exist. The people on this plain were unable to come to terms with the fact that they were dead. We believe that this plain is permanent.

The third plain is a bigger mystery. It is also permanent, and we believe it is where the spirits of people who have lived their lives to the full extent of their capabilities go. Upon entering the third plain, the spirits are judged. Those who are deemed to have lived a good life can stay on the plain. This is why we believe that the third plain is a good place to be. Those who are deemed to have lived a bad life are sent back to the mortal world. I don't know if you know anything about reincarnation?' she looked at Harry again, who shook his head.

'Some Eastern Muggle societies believe that spirits are sent back to the mortal world again and again until they reach enlightenment. Depending on how good their lives were they are sent back as different creatures. A bad person will return as something like a dung beetle, or even an amoeba. They will have to live their lives as different creatures, higher and higher on the ladder of the food circle and intelligence. Then, when they once again become a human, they will get a chance to redeem themselves. Someone who never reached enlightenment, but still had a generally good life, will return as a human immediately.'

'We have found that this does happen. People who did not live a good life will be sent back to the mortal world. Most often as a human, but sometimes as an animal. They will obviously have no recollection of the life, or lives, that led before. I can see you are quite shocked.'

She was right. Harry's mind was racing. So if everyone got another chance, then…

'No, Harry. Those people that led atrocious lived, those that murdered, raped and tortured will have their spirits destroyed. They will simply stop existing. We believe Lord Voldemort also knows this, though we don't know how, and believe that this is the reason why he is so afraid of death.

Unfortunately, we do not yet know what constitutes a good life. We believe many of the Muggle religions have it right though. Treating your fellow creatures like you would like to be treated yourself and loving others are probably the core of what makes a good life.'

Harry was impressed, to say the least. He wondered how they had managed to find all this stuff out.

'And now then for the second plain. This plain is actually the entrance plain to death, that is, if people don't go into denial straight away. On this plain it seems that spirits are given a choice. From this plain the spirits can still see what goes on in the mortal world, though they really can't do much about it. I say that they can't do much about it for a reason, I will get to that. Once they enter the third plain, they are cut off from the mortal world. Even the ones that are judged positively, and stay there, can't observe the goings on in the other world or the other plains anymore. Most spirits are afraid of moving on by themselves. Many of them choose to wait until a certain loved one joins them. There is a catch to that though. If they wait, their fates will be tied to the person they are waiting for. If this person strays in any way, and is sent back to the mortal world after having died and being judged, they will have to join them. Even if they had led a good life. Spirits that wait also have an ability to help out the person they are waiting for. Sometimes they are able to send a message, or a warning, and there have been instances where they managed to intervene in an important event. There was one case where a person in the mortal world wanted to take the life of another wizard. This wizard had accidentally killed the wife of the first person. The person had planned to pay a visit to his wife's murdered on a certain morning, but found that he had woken up a day later. Next to his bed were some of his wife's belongings, spelling out the word "Don't". How all of this works is still a mystery to us as well. We believe that these things can only be prevented if the event isn't fate, so to say. The man who had lost his wife would probably never have wanted to murder anyone if his wife hadn't died, and she was probably able to stop him because of this.'

Harry smiled. So Luna had been right. They were just waiting there, lurking out of sight. 'Can I ask something now?' he said timidly.

'Why, yes, I think you can,' said Elizabeth. 'What is it you want to know?'

'Can more that one… spirit… wait for the same person?'

'I expected that question,' said Elizabeth, smiling. 'We're not sure, but we think that is possible, yes. I'm sure you hope there are some… loved ones… looking over you?'

Harry blushed. 'I do. I never really dared to believe it, but I really hope they are there. Not all the time though…' he added thoughfully, thinking back to his wet, awkward kiss with Cho.

Elizabeth laughed, like she knew what he was talking about. 'I'm hoping my mother is there,' she confided in him, 'but I hope she also knows when to look away. I kissed a lot of frogs before I found my husband, and I'd hate to think she was there to witness all that!'

Harry laughed as well. 'Yeah. Yeah. Hey!' he exclaimed. 'You said that it was possible to send messages from that second plain, didn't you?'

'I did,' Elizabeth said, eyeing Harry warily. 'Why?'

'Well… It's just… I have this book,' he said. 'And… ehm… when I read it, a message appeared. I asked a friend about it, and he thought that maybe it had been charmed, though he didn't know of any charm that could do what the book did.'

'Tell me what happened,' said Elizabeth, suddenly looking very interested.

'See, it was my mum's baby journal. I just got it this summer. I was reading it, and I had read it front to cover when a whole new page appeared. There was this bright of white light, and it was just… there. There was a photo, and… well. I'll show you.' Harry had carried the book around with him every day since he'd been back at school. He pulled it out of his back, and turned to the last page. There was the photo, and the writing underneath it. He pointed at the writing. 'That just appeared out of nowhere, like an invisible hand wrote it.'

Elizabeth gasped. 'Lily Potter's handwriting!'

'What!' Harry exclaimed. 'How'd you know that?'

'There was a reason why I was the one that wanted to talk to you, Harry. I was charged with the case of your family when your parents were murdered.'

'The case of my family,' Harry said loudly, 'they're no case! And why would an Unspeakable research them, or me, anyway? You all though Voldemort was dead.'

'No, we didn't, Harry,' she said reconcilingly. 'And of course your family is not a case. It's just that we talk about cases at work, it's a habit. The Department of Mysteries is a department that is part of the Ministry, but operates mostly separate from it. New ministers are elected every couple of years, and we don't want to share the knowledge we have with them. Some we want to have more knowledge than others. Minister Fudge was always irritated by the little information we gave him, for example. Interim Minister Weasley already know more than Fudge knew during his 14-year period in office.'

Harry chuckled. Served him right!

'Anyway, there were many mysteries surrounding your family, not the least being the fact that Voldemort had tried to kill you as an infant.'

'I know,' Harry said, 'he didn't usually do that, did he?'

'Very good, Harry,' Elizabeth continued, 'it is good to research history. It gives a better understanding of things that can happen to all of us. Now, we wanted to know what was so important about you, especially in the event when Voldemort would return, as he now has. I have to say that unfortunately, I have not gotten really far in discovering that. I know there was a prophecy, and think I know its contents, more or less. And if you do know the contents, you really needn't tell me,' she said at Harry's abashed looks.

'I spent some time looking over your family's history, and that is why I know your mother's handwriting so well. Her school records and assignments are in my files, along with copies of all photos that exist of her, you and your father. Although I have to say I thought I had all the photos, because I never saw this one before this day.' She shook her head.

'Neither did I!' Harry exclaimed. 'It is unlike any other photo I ever saw of them. They look different in it, somehow.'

'I agree, Harry. I don't want to cause too much of a fuss, but I think it might be possible that they managed to convey an image of themselves from the second plain. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before. I never heard of such a thing. I understand that you will want to keep this book close to you, especially considering you only got it this summer. But if you ever do feel like you'd want to contribute to the research of the second plain, and you wouldn't mind parting with the book for a few months, I am sure I'd have some very interested colleagues. Even if it's 50 years from now,' she added hastily, seeing the shocked look on Harry's face.

'Sure, I think about it,' Harry said, knowing full well that he'd never part with the book. It was the only tangible link he had to his mother. And you never know, if it really could convey a message from beyond the grave, who's to say it wouldn't do so again some day.

'So… do books often do this sort of stuff?' he asked.

'Not really books in particular,' said Elizabeth. 'It's usually objects that were given in love, or have a great deal of emotional associations.'

Harry suddenly had a thought that was so fantastic, he knew it couldn't possibly be true. Or could it? 'Can objects also convey a message, even if the person that didn't give it isn't dead yet?'

Elizabeth looked puzzled. 'I guess it could be possible. I don't know why it would though, as people that are alive can usually pass along any message anyway. I've never heard of it, but I think the possibility is there.'

Harry was excited. He didn't know if it would work, but it might… It just might…

'Thank you so much for your time, Ms Atrill,' Harry said. He wanted to be alone with the book, and think about everything Elizabeth had just told him.

'Please,' she said, 'call me Elizabeth. It feels like I've known you for such a long time already. And if you have any questions about your family, you can always talk to me.'

'Thanks,' said Harry. He got up, and opened up the door. 'Well, bye then.'

'Goodnight Harry,' Elizabeth said happily.

When Harry got out of the office he rounded the first corner of the corridor and sat down on the ground. He still had 40 minutes before he needed to be back in the Common Room. Sighing, he opened the book to the last page, and touched his mother face. 'Mom. Dad. Can you hear me? Can you see me? You can, can't you?' His talk with Elizabeth had strengthened his hopes that there was more to the page that had appeared over the summer. He didn't know how long he'd sat on the ground, musing and pleading with his parents to send another message, when he heard footsteps approaching. He snapped the books shut just before Ginny walked around the corner. On seeing him, she quickly turned on her heel and started walking in the other direction. Harry jumped up and ran after her.

'Not so fast, Ginny! I want to know what in the world I've done wrong. You're coming with me, and we're going to sit here and talk about it.' He grabbed he arm, and started walking to the spot where he'd been sitting before.

'Not now, Harry,' Ginny sighed.

'When then?' he said. 'You forced me to talk to you over the summer, and now it's my turn to make you talk. Sit!' He pointed to the floor, but his tone quickly softened when he saw Ginny had tears in her eyes.

'Please, Ginny, sit,' he said. 'I just want to talk. What are you so afraid of?'

Ginny gave a tearful sigh, and sank down. 'I don't know,' she said softly. 'It's all just so confusing. I have a lot of things to think about. I won't go back to that place.'

Harry was confused. 'What place? Ginny, what's wrong?'

'Nothing is wrong, really. It's just… personal. Please, I promise I will talk to you, when I have some more clarity myself. Please, please, can we not do this just now?'

Harry conceded. He didn't want to push her to do or say anything she didn't want.

Ginny smiled. 'Okay then. What were you doing here anyway? What's that book?'

For a minute, Harry felt like giving her a piece of her own medicine, telling her he wasn't ready to talk about it. But he found that he couldn't. It was like he was incapable of it. He wanted to share the book with someone. He shared it with Remus, but he wasn't here. And somehow, Ginny seemed the right person.

He told her the story of how he'd gotten the book, what he had read in it, and he talked about the page that had appeared. He didn't tell her about where he thought the page had come from, because obviously he couldn't.

'Can I see it?' said Ginny timidly.

'I guess so,' Harry shrugged.

He turned to the last page, and watched Ginny's face as she looked at it. 'Wow,' Ginny said. 'Your mum really was pretty, wasn't she?' She smiled.

Harry smiled too. 'Yes, she was.'

Simultaneously, they both moved their index fingers to touch the photo, and they briefly touched each other. Suddenly, Harry felt very light in the head, and thought he was fainting.

Author's Notes:

Yes, according to me, civilized countries do not have death penalties. You may agree with me, and you may disagree. I respect all opinions. However, if you feel personally slighted by this statement I will not force you to read on.

I'm sorry to leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger, and a bit of a short-ish chapter. It's the best moment for a new chapter however, so sorry. The next chapter is already finished, but I'll wait a bit to soften you up. I'll leave you with a taste though…

And in case you feel Ginny is acting frustrating, so do I! It's the way she wants to be written though, can't really do much about it. The next chapter will throw a bit more light on her behaviour.

Please read and review, you know how I love that. Also, if you like this fic, spread the word! I'm always looking for more readers. (Yes, I am fully aware that I am pimping my own story!)

Next Chapter: Proposals and Blossoming Love

"There's no need to worry about that, Red,' James said. Harry felt slightly abashed when he saw his father leaning over to kiss his mum. Obviously they weren't his parents yet, but it still felt strange. Then Ginny grabbed his shoulder, and he felt an odd explosion in his stomach.

'Look at that,' she whispered, 'they look great together, don't they?"


	12. Proposals and Blossoming Love

Disclaimer:

I do not, nor will I ever, own the world of Harry Potter. I'm just playing with it for a while, and no copyright infringement is intended. I'm sure I'll return Harry and his world quite in one piece when I'm through.

**Chapter 12**

**Proposals and Blossoming Love**

When Harry opened his eyes again, he was lying on the ground next to Ginny. She was just opening her eyes as well.

'Harry?' she said. 'What happened?'

'I don't know,' said Harry. He could hear sounds of many people coming from some indistinct place. 'Let's get up and take a look at all that noise. I don't know how long we've been out, but it seems like it's day.'

It was strange. When they walked through the corridor Harry could see sunlight streaming through the windows, but it had been night when they had passed out. If they had fainted, surely someone would have come across them if not during the night then surely in the morning.

They made their way down the main staircase and into the Great Hall. Harry was shocked when he looked inside, and he saw a Ginny looked as shocked as he felt. At first, he didn't recognise any of the faces in the Hall, except for the teachers. But they looked much younger. McGonagall, Flitwick, Dumbledore and many of the other teachers were all there, but they didn't look the same as they usually did.

Ginny seemed to have caught on to the thing Harry was suspected. 'Hey,' she said to a student who just walked into the Hall. 'Hey? What year is it?'

But the student didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice that Harry and Ginny were there.

Ginny looked at Harry. 'What's going on?'

Harry had had some experience with being invisible in the past, but that had always been in memories. He had previously entered a memory of Dumbledore, and one of Snape, and that had been the same. Of course, in those instances he hadn't fainted, but he had fallen into the memory. The same happened with the memory Tom Riddle had showed him during his second year.

'I don't know, Ginny, but it looks like we're in the past, and we're invisible. I sure wish I knew what year it is though, and why in the world we're here.'

He felt Ginny tugging on his sleeve. 'Harry, isn't that… Professor Lupin?' she said, almost like she didn't believe it.

Harry looked over at the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, there was Remus, having breakfast with Sirius. He quickly glanced over at the Slytherin table, where he saw Snape sitting by himself, reading a book while spilling tea over the front of his robes without noticing. Then made his way to the Gryffindor table. Like when he had entered Snape's memory, it was like he was gliding; tables, chairs and people didn't really seem to be obstacles. He stood in front of Sirius, tears clouding his vision.

'Sirius,' he whispered, 'Sirius, please. If you can hear me, please look at me. Please Sirius.'

'He can't hear you, Harry,' he heard Ginny say behind him.

'Maybe – Maybe I can warn him!' Harry said hopefully. He tried to pick up a quill that was lying on the table, but he wasn't able to grasp it.

'Don't, Harry, you're only making this harder on yourself. Come on, your parents should be here too, shouldn't they? Let's look for them.'

She was looking around hopefully, as was Harry now, but neither of them was able to find either Lily or James in the crowds of students.

'I think it's sixth or seventh year. Remus and Sirius look older than they did when I –' he broke of his sentence. He'd never told any of his friends about the time when he had entered Snape's memory.

'When you what. Harry?' said Ginny inquisitively.

'Nothing, never mind how I know. I just know that they're in their sixth or seventh year, all right?'

'Right,' said Ginny, 'let's seen if we can hear anything that'll narrow that down.'

For a few minutes they sat listening to a conversation between Remus and Sirius, about a girl Remus apparently liked very much.

'Don't worry about finances, Moony,' said Sirius, 'it will only be a few months before you can start that job at the Ministry that you were headhunted for.'

'A few months till he starts work,' said Ginny, 'that would make it spring of their seventh year. I do wonder why we were brought here though.'

The moment she had finished her sentence, Harry felt himself gliding backwards out of the Hall. Instinctively, he grabbed Ginny's hand. It was like they were metal, attracted by a powerful magnet. They glided backwards all the way to the lake, to almost exactly the same spot where Harry had observed Sirius taunting Snape. Then, they halted and both turned around.

In front of them, by the lake's edge, were a boy and a girl. They sat close to each other, the girl's head resting on the boy's shoulder. Harry immediately recognised them as his parents. His father had the same unruly black hair, and his mother… Well, he just knew it was her. The auburn hair gave her away, but Harry just knew in his heart that it was her as well.

'Harry, are those your parents?' said Ginny.

Harry nodded. 'Come on, let's move a bit closer and hear what they're saying.'

They walked over, and sat down next to Lily. Harry could now see her face as well. 'Mom,' he whispered, 'mom, what is it you want me to know?' He could feel Ginny looking at him intently, but she didn't say anything because Lily was speaking.

'But James, with me going off to train at St Mungo's and you at the Ministry, I'm afraid we'll never see each other.'

'There's no need to worry about that, Red,' James said. Harry felt slightly abashed when he saw his father leaning over to kiss his mum. Obviously they weren't his parents yet, but it still felt strange. Then Ginny grabbed his shoulder, and he felt an odd explosion in his stomach.

'Look at that,' she whispered, 'they look great together, don't they?'

Harry nodded. His father had finished the kiss, and Lily was looking slightly upset. 'But James, of course I worry about that. I know how much time your internship will take, and I know mine won't be a picnic either.'

'Well, I think I found a solution for that though,' said James. He was looking oddly embarrassed, and his ears were quickly turning red. 'See, you know how I always call you Evans?'

Lily nodded, looking confused. 'You used to, but you call me Red all the time now.'

'Just bear with me for a second, Red,' said James.

Lily laughed. 'Ha! See! You did it again.'

James grumbled. 'I know! But will you just listen? I'm trying to be serious here!'

'Oh, I'm sorry gorgeous. Please, continue.' Lily looked like she was trying to hide her amusement at something.

'It's not funny, Red!' James exclaimed. 'I know I'm usually not serious, but I am now!'

'I'd better hope that you're usually not Sirius. I like you so much better being yourself!' Lily laughed.

'Oh, forget about it,' said James, moving to get up.

'No! No! I'm really sorry,' Lily exclaimed, grabbing his arm. She gave James a small kiss on his nose. 'There. I'm sorry. Please tell me what it is you want to say.'

James looked a bit put out. 'Well, okay then. So, you know how I USED to call you Evans?'

Lily nodded.

'But… erm… how would you feel if I asked if I could call you Potter?'

Lily just sat there, with her mouth open. 'James… are you asking me…'

'Yes, Lily. Will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?' James looked at her hopefully.

Lily smiled. 'I'd love to, James. But aren't we a bit young to get married? I mean, we both just turned 17.'

James looked like he had anticipated this doubt. 'Well, yes, I know we are. But I know how I feel about you, and I think I know how you feel about me. I doubt those feelings will go anywhere. I love you, Red, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Also, Potter men have been marrying redheads for generations. There aren't that many cute redheads out there, so I have to snag up the one that is cute. Cute beyond belief! You know marriages happen earlier here than they do in the Muggle world. And it would enable us to see one another so much more. It would also enable us to practice for having that family we both dream about.' James winked at Lily.

Up until this point Harry had felt all kinds of emotions. It was amazing he was present at his father proposing to his mother. But now he just felt slightly disgusted. Ginny seemed to have read him once again. 'Don't worry, Harry,' she said. 'No child likes to be confronted with the idea of his parents having sex, not even children who never knew those parents.'

He turned to her as Lily squealed 'I love you too, James Potter! Of course I'll be your wife', and engaged James in a full-blown snogging session.

He saw that Ginny had tears in her eyes. 'That was beautiful, wasn't it?' she sighed. 'A bit awkward, but beautiful nevertheless. Your mum was a bit thick though, wasn't she? It was so obvious that he was going to propose!' She clasped her hands over her mouth as soon as she realised that she had called Harry's dead mother 'thick'. 'I'm sorry, Harry,' she gasped, 'I didn't mean…'

'Don't worry, Ginny,' Harry smiled. 'I didn't notice either. Guess the thickness runs in the family, hmm?' Harry had been startled at the news that Potter men married redheads. He didn't know why, but he somehow felt like his father was trying to tell him something.

Ginny laughed. 'I guess it does. But I still don't know why we're here. I figure it must have something to do with the book. But you'd think there'd be a point to all this. I hardly think we're hear just to see your dad propose to your mum.'

'I think there's more coming,' he said. 'I think I'm here to learn something, although I don't know what.'

Lily and James had ended their snogging session, and were staring out across the lake again. 'James?' Lily sighed. 'There is something I think I need to tell you.'

'What is it, Red?' said James, looking as content as a cat being stroked by its owner.

'I've been noticing some odd things happening. I haven't told anyone. I don't think it's normal.'

James looked at Lily concernedly. 'What happened, Red? Whatever it is, I'm sure we can figure it out together.'

Lily sighed again. 'Well, over the last year or so I've sort of been… picking up on things. Emotions, more like. Sometimes I just feel sad, or happy, for no apparent reason. It always happens when I'm close to someone who seems to be feeling those feelings. It's happening now too. I feel happy because we're getting married, but it feels like I'm doubly happy.'

She continued before James could speak. 'I know what you're thinking. Empathy. But that's a power you're born with. If I were an empath, I'd have noticed earlier. Besides… that's not all. I also see strange lights around people. I see this soft pink light around you right now.'

'Pink!' James exclaimed. 'Not something more masculine, like blue? Or even green?' He smiled.

'It's not a joke, James. I've been reading up on this, and it seems that there are a lot of instances of people seeing colours around others in the Muggle world. They call them auras. But that seems to be just a bit of hocus pocus. The colours they describe don't seem to relate to those that I see. When we're together, you're often pink. When you're sitting in class, you're blue. When you've just finished playing Quidditch it's almost black. In the Muggle world they say a black aura is looming death or disease. And that's not it. Black seems to represent exhaustion. You also have it when we've finished – well – you know…' Lily seemed quite abashed.

'Hey! I resent that! I'm never exhausted after we've finished!' said James. 'But I do understand why you're concerned. I've never heard anything like it. Am I the only person you pick up on these things on?'

'No. The feelings I pick up all over the place. It's quite annoying. The auras I only see on a few people, the ones that I know best. That's also how I figured that black is probably exhaustion. Moony is always surrounded by black after a full moon.' Lily sighed again. 'I've been researching this in the library. I came across this one book that might have an explanation, but it's so fantastic that I don't think it's a possibility.'

'What was it then, Red?'

'Well. I think I might be a -' but Harry never got to hear was Lily was about to say. He fainted again, and the next moment when he opened his eyes, he was looking in the concerned face of Madam Pomfrey.

'There you are again,' she said happily. 'It took me a long time to get you two to wake up.'

'Why DID you wake us up?' Harry said angrily.

Madam Pomfrey looked shocked. 'Well, Mr Potter, I'd rather you would have stayed out of the infirmary for at least the first week of school as well. As it is, Professor McGonagall found you and Miss Weasley on the ground near the Headmaster's office, out cold. She came here, and asked me to revive you, as she had been unsuccessful. It took me over an hour to get you to wake up. Now please tell me what the reason for this simultaneous fainting spell was. Were you attacked or was it' she lowered her voice 'drugs?'

'What? No!' Harry and Ginny both exclaimed. 'We can't really explain, Madam Pomfrey. But we're fine, and we'll just go up to the Common Room now, shall we.'

'Oh, no you're not!' Madam Pomfrey said sternly. 'No patients of mine will leave this infirmary after an inexplicable fainting spell. You will both spend the night here for observation.' And with that she stalked off and slammed the door of her quarters behind her.

Harry groaned. He would have like to have avoided the infirmary for the first week as well. But he was even more annoyed at the fact that he had never been able to hear his mother finish that sentence. He thought it might have been important.

Ginny climbed out of his bed, and on top of his bed. She accio'd the screens that were standing across the room and cast a Silencing Charm. Again, Harry felt that odd sensation in his stomach. He couldn't help thinking 'I have a girl in my bed! Again!'. He shook his head.

'Harry, do you know what your mum was talking about?'

'No. Not really,' said Harry.

'Not really?' said Ginny.

Harry still hadn't told anyone about the times when he had seen Dudley's memories, or felt Aunt Petunia's emotions. He figured that as Ginny had come this far with him, she deserved to know the truth. He told her about the things that had happened at Privet Drive, and showed her the journal entry where his mother had written that he should have noticed some odd things happening by now.

'It's strange,' said Ginny. 'If your mum had any special powers, we would have known about them, wouldn't we? You would've been told about them anyway.'

Harry shook his head. 'I'm not so sure. A lot of things have been kept hidden from me up until now, and this might just be another one of those things. I don't really think that is the case though. I just really hate it that Madam Pomfrey woke us up before we heard mum say what she thought she was.'

They tried to go back into time again. They even pressed their index fingers together before touching the photo. Nothing happened.

'Guess we only had one shot,' Harry said sadly.

'Don't be so discouraged, Harry,' said Ginny. 'Your mum did say she had found something out from a book in the library. If there is anyone who knows about the books in the library, it's Hermione. You should talk to her, and see if she knows what your mum might have been talking about. If she doesn't we'll just have to read every book that's in there. We can skip the books that were published in the last 16 years or so.'

Harry laughed. 'So that narrows it down to what? 15,000 books?'

'You laugh,' said Ginny, 'but you never know how important this might be. And with the four of us, five if Neville joins in, we can cover a lot of ground.'

'So, you'd help then,' said Harry.

'Of course I'd help. Don't you think there was a reason that you didn't go alone on that little time-defying visit?'

Harry was confused. 'A reason. What kind of reason?'

'Think about it, Harry. How often have you touched that photo?'

Harry couldn't even count the times he'd stared at the photo, touched it, hoping for some sort of new message. Ginny could be right. He still hadn't forgotten his dad's comment about Potters and redheads. Here he was sitting on his bed, with a redhead. He suddenly saw her button nose and freckles in a new light. It was like he'd never seen them before. They were… cute?

'What are you think about, Harry?'

'Nothing, nothing,' Harry muttered, feeling his ears turning bright red.

Ginny seemed to decide to let it go, for now. 'It was nice being there though, wasn't it? I mean, you got to see your parents together, and you even got to see the way your dad proposed to your mum.'

'He was a bit clumsy, wasn't he?' Harry laughed.

'Well, your mum didn't really help, did she?' said Ginny. 'And how was it so see Sirius?' She looked at him with apparent concern in her eyes.

Harry didn't really want to talk about it, but somehow he couldn't stop himself. 'It hurt, Ginny. What do you think it felt like?' He didn't really feel angry, but he couldn't help himself. He was very sorry when he saw Ginny flinch. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to come out that. It's just that it really hurts some times, and I only know how to cope with that by shutting down or lashing out.'

'I don't want you to shut down,' Ginny said softly. 'I want to help you.'

'I know you do, and I appreciate it. I need to deal with this differently that I dealt with things before. So, like I said, it hurt. I really wish I could have warned him.'

'You know it probably wouldn't have made a difference, even if you had managed to warn him,' said Ginny.

'I do, but it was awful to see him alive and happy, knowing that he is, now, dead. He didn't have a very good life, you know that too.'

'No, he didn't have it easy. But he had a good youth, great friends, and when he escaped he was so happy to have you in his life again.'

'Yeah, lucky him!' Harry snorted. 'Without me, he wouldn't be dead, remember?'

Ginny looked very angry. 'I've asked you to stop that, Harry. Saying that doesn't get you anyway. If it hadn't been for you, a lot of things wouldn't have happened. If you hadn't been born, Voldemort wouldn't have been robbed of his body for 13 years. I would have died in that Chamber. Voldemort would have come to his body again 5 years ago. No one would know he had returned.'

'My parents wouldn't have died,' Harry said softly.

Ginny had tears in her eyes. 'Do you really think that, Harry? Do you? Tell me the truth?'

Harry could just nod.

Ginny stifled a small sob. 'How could you think like this, Harry? I never knew your parents, but I'm sure they thought that you were the best thing that ever happened to him. Doesn't it say so in that journal. Doesn't it say how much you were loved and wanted?'

Harry nodded again. 'But that still doesn't mean that I didn't kill them,' he said softly.

'Voldemort killed them, Harry. Bellatrix killed Sirius. Pettigrew killed all those Muggles, robbed you of your godfather and made it possible for Voldemort to go after your parents. All those evil people robbed you from leading a normal life. A life in which you were loved, and in which you were safe. If you have any anger, any resentment, focus it on them.'

Harry nodded again.

'I can see now why you have this major guilt over Sirius. It's a pattern with you.'

'I never told anyone before,' said Harry.

'I understand that. But I'm so glad you told me,' Ginny lifted his chin so that he had no choice but to look her straight in the eye. 'I want to be your friend.'

The amount of trust and pain in her eyes was amazing. Harry could feel it radiating from her. Before he could stop himself, or even contemplate the why's and how's he said 'It's not your friendship I want, Red.'

The fact that Ginny dissolved into tears startled him greatly. He felt the need to hold her, and the reason for that was finally becoming clearer in his mind. He pulled her close, and just held her as she was sobbing on his shoulder. Harry stroked her hair, and kept whispering 'shhhhh, it's okay' in her ear. It was amazing how natural it felt. After about 15 minutes, the crying calmed down a bit, and he felt Ginny stiffen.

'It's all right,' he whispered. 'Are you ready to tell me what has been going on for the last couple of days now?'

He felt Ginny take a deep breath, and she sat up again, looking into his eyes. They were tear stained and red, but Harry thought she still looked amazing. 'Don't you know what's going on, Harry?'

'I think I might, but I'd like to hear it from you. I think I'm ready to hear it, and I think you're ready to tell.'

'I've loved you, Harry,' Ginny whispered. 'Some might say I had a childish crush, but I think I loved you. And you never noticed. Or, if you did, you laughed it off as well. A few years ago I told myself there was no way you would ever love me back, so I shut down those feelings. I started dating other boys, but it never felt quite right. When you were hurting so much over the summer I couldn't stop myself. I felt like I needed to help you through this. But being so close to you brought all the old pain up again. And though you were definitely more open to me, I still didn't see a way that you would ever answer the feelings I had for you. So I had to try to shut those feelings down again, convince myself that I could only feel sisterly feelings towards you. But I couldn't. I had to take my distance again. Hermione tried to convince me that your feelings were changing, but I didn't see any evidence of it.' During the course of her monologue, Ginny had started to look away again. In a very small voice she added 'but then, just now, you said – And you called me Red, just like your dad did your mum. You gave me hope again, Harry, and I'm afraid that it will prove false again.'

Now it was Harry's turn to grab Ginny's chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. 'It's not false hope,' he whispered. 'You're right that I've been clueless for a long time. I don't think I was ready. I'm sorry for that, but I don't think you can blame me. I just never knew you well enough, I think. But I know you now, and I like what I see. You do have a bit of a head start on me, Red. I can't say that I've loved you since I first met you. But I'd like to see if we can make this work.' Harry suddenly felt a surge of anger, that he immediately recognised as not being his own.

'Don't be angry, Ginny,' he said. He was amused to see her shocked expression. 'Yes, I felt that. I wasn't trying to say that I want to use you. But you'll be my first relationship. Of course there was,' again, a surge of anger. 'There was that one,' he said smilingly, 'but that wasn't real. It wasn't how I'm feeling right now. It was puppy love. A first try at this kind of stuff, and it didn't go too well. You know about that.' Now he felt amusement. That was good. He was getting somewhere. This new power, whatever it was, could prove very useful if he managed to develop it more.

'I like you, Ginny. You're down to earth, smart, sensitive, and extremely cute to boot. I'm willing to try this if you are.' Harry was still holding Ginny's chin, and love was radiating out of her eyes once more. She nodded best as she could with her head being held like that.

Her head moved towards his, and he pulled it back as in a reflex.

'What?' she said in a hurt voice.

'Nothing,' said Harry. 'Some bad experience there, is all. Wet.'

Ginny smiled at him. 'Don't worry,' she said. 'You just sit there.'

She moved in again, and Harry felt her lips against his. Then she kissed his eyelids, tip of his nose, and neck. The kiss in his neck made his stomach do several somersaults. Finally, she kissed his lips again. He was startled when he felt her tongue sliding between his lips. He quickly opened his eyes, meeting hers. The reassurance in them was so strong that he soon answered her type of kiss. They continued kissing softly. Finally, they both broke out of the embrace, completely breathless.

'We should probably go to bed,' Harry said reluctantly. Ginny nodded. 'It's been an exhausting night, and we have classes again tomorrow. We also have a lot to explain to Ron.'

Harry groaned. That was one conversation he was not looking forward to. 'I'm really happy about this,' he whispered.

'Not half as much as I am,' Ginny whispered, while climbing off his bed. Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him for another short, but more passionate kiss. 'Goodnight, Red,'

'I like that,' said Ginny. 'Goodnight Harry.' And with that she went off to her own bed, but not before removing the screen that separated hers from his first.

Harry feel asleep feeling very content, watching Ginny before he drifted off to a night without nightmares.

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Author's Notes:

I'd like to take this time to thank my good friends Cigarettes, Pistachio Nuts, Dark Chocolate and South African White Wine for helping me write this story. Without you guys, I'd be lost!

(This is in no means an advertisement for cigarettes or alcohol. Never smoke, and if you're under 21, in the US, or under 18/16, in Europe, don't drink either! However, pistachio nuts and dark chocolate will be everyone's best friend. Just ask them! I've found melon and peaches to be friendly to a gal's writer's block as well)

Of course I'd also like to thank my lovely reviewers. Even if you don't help me write, you do keep me motivated to turn out more chapters.

The pieces are now mostly in place. I never thought it would take me 12 chapters, but at least they're all there. Now let the chess game begin!

And see, there are still temper problems, though I'm toning them down. You've also probably noticed that I'm not making Ginny more beautiful than I believe her to be. I'm sure she's quite a pretty girl, but I can't get myself to describe her with any of the following words:

Curvy

With shining hair, cascading down her back in beautiful ringlets

Flawlessly fair-skinned OR

Superhot.

I like reading fics that describe her as such, that's not the problem. What is, is that I have a little sister who is the same age as Ginny. She's not a redhead, but she is a symbol for Ginny's descriptions and some of her behaviour.

This was a very long Author's Notes, sorry. I'll make sure the next is shorter.


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